Assessing Spatiotemporal Variation in Agricultural Sustainability Using Sustainable Livelihood Security Index: Empirical Illustration from Vaishali District of Bihar, India

Abstract

This article analyzes spatiotemporal variation in agricultural sustainability in a backward state of Bihar. It creates a sustainable livelihood security index (SLSI) for agricultural sustainability and evaluates its existing status at the block level in Vaishali district. The persistently increasing inequality, improper management of resources, natural calamities, and exponential population growth have created a significant threat to the successful development of sustainable agricultural in the study area. SLSI as a composite index of its three components of ecological security index (ESI), economic efficiency index (EEI), and social equity index (SEI) works as a powerful policy tool for identifying the necessary conditions for sustainable development of agriculture in planning and development units of Vaishali district, Bihar. SLSI-based spatiotemporal analysis revealed that there is wide variation in agricultural sustainability and its three aspects (ESI, EEI, and SEI) within blocks during 2000–2003 and 2007–2010. SLSI has also proved to be effective planning instrument for analyzing the performance and changing status of three aspects of sustainable development of agriculture in different blocks of the district. SLSI identified blocks which require immediate attention for sustainable development of agriculture (SDA) and helped to focus the priorities for attaining livelihood security. Thus, SLSI approach can best be utilized for assessing sustainable development of agriculture and creating holistic perspective of environment and socioeconomic development of the region.