Effect of drought on livestock enterprise: Evidence from Rajasthan

Abstract

Livestock act as a cushion against vagaries of nature and augment income of the farmers, particularly in drought prone Rajasthan. However, to what extent it withheld the adverse climatic situation has been a less probed area at least at macro-level. This paper studies the impact of drought on milk and meat enterprises in the drought prone state of Rajasthan using district level secondary data for the period of 1983/84 to 2015/16. Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was used to determine drought years. Results indicated that although the sector has been able to absorb the minor shocks of droughts, the major droughts affect the livestock adversely. The drought prone districts of western Rajasthan were found to be much prepared for drought than the southern and south eastern districts. Study recommends that the strategies followed by western districts such as stock of fodder, fodder bank, perennial grasses, etc. should be promoted in rest of the areas of the state for sustainable livestock production.