Use of Modified Entropy Index and Logit Transformation Model to Access Non-Crop Enterprise Diversification in the Flood Affected Areas of Assam, India

Abstract

Changing climatic condition like increasing density of rainfall, more siltation in the river beds etc., stimulates devastating flood in Assam. Year after year the changing nature of flood in Assam extemporize more risk in agriculture. In such circumstances, risk mitigation and livelihood security in the flood prone agricultural sector of Assam becomes one of the key agendas for development of the small and marginal farmers. Different studies have brought this issue of climate change and risk in agriculture and opined that crop diversification is one of the prolific strategies to mitigate risk and ensure livelihood in agriculture. However, very few studies have mentioned about non-crop enterprise diversification and risk mitigation in the agricultural sector of Assam. Therefore, an attempt has been made to examine the impact of non-crop enterprise diversification in risk mitigation in the flood prone areas of Assam by using Modified Entropy Index and Logit Transformation Model. The findings of the study show that the farmers in the flood prone areas under study diversified more non-crop enterprises than in the flood free areas. Therefore, small and marginal farmers of the flood prone areas of the study can takenon-crop sector to be an effective measure to combat flood like situations.