A comparative analysis of livelihood security among fish and dairy farmers in Tripura, India

Abstract

This comparative study in Tripura, conducted during 2021-2022, focuses on the livelihoodsecurity of tribal fish and dairy farming communities. Livelihood security encompassesessential aspects such as income, resources and basic needs like food, health, education,social integration and infrastructure. The study purposively selected West Tripura andKhowai districts based on their fish and milk production values. A sample of 160 farmers(80 fish farmers and 80 dairy farmers) were selected using stratified random sampling.Seven indicators were used to assess the livelihood security, and the Household LivelihoodSecurity Index was calculated based on the mean values of these indicators. The cumulativesquare root method categorised the respondents into low, medium, and high livelihoodsecurity levels. The findings indicated that fish farmers generally scored higher in foodsecurity, economic security, health security, infrastructural security and institutional security.While, dairy farmers had higher levels of educational and social security. Most fisheries anddairy farming had medium to high livelihood security. The study underscores the significanceof fisheries and dairy sectors in improving livelihoods and nutritional security among tribalcommunities in Tripura. Policymakers and stakeholders can use these findings to developtargeted interventions to enhance livelihood security for these communities. Keywords:Dairy farming, Fish farming, Livelihood security,Tripura