Livelihood Pattern of Riverine Areas of Dibrugarh District and its Prospects of Livelihood Diversification

Abstract

Background: Diversification is a continuous adaptive process whereby household add new ctivities maintain existing one or drop others, thereby maintaining diverse and changing make greater contribution to general livelihood portfolios. Livelihood in rural areas is very erratic and risk hidden. The land-based livelihood of small and marginal farmers is becoming unsustainable in recent times due to continuous flood and decrease in availability of arable land. Diversification activities make greater contribution ta key strategy by which people try to improve the generate cash incomes for poor households and it is a key strategy by which people try to improve their wellbeing. Methods: Based on the primary and secondary data, Barbarua Development Block is finally selected for the study. In the block itself three nos Missing community dominated villages and three nos Scheduled Caste dominated villages are selected for the study. Through random sampling, 10 households of each diverse socio economic background are selected from each village. Semi structured schedules are prepared for interviewing the villagers, local village head (Gaon Burah), school teacher, unemployed youth, agricultural labour, landless people and women. Result: As the entire survey area is inundated by flood water in every year, a part from farm activities various income generating activities carried out under livelihood diversification. Some households end upon multiple activities. A common pattern is for every poor and the comprehensive well-off households to have most diverse livelihood. Farm income accounts for 54.0 per cent of the total household income coming from off farm activities. It is also revealed that 44 per cent households prefer livelihood diversification due to limited agricultural income. About 22 per cent reported that the availability of non-farm activities encouraged them to adopt non farm activities. Managing livelihood has always been a critical factor or challenge among the poor in everywhere.