Vol. 9, Special Issue 4 (2020)

Author(s):
Ishrat F Bhat, SH Baba, Nasir Husain and Masroor Majeed

Abstract:
Enhancement of agricultural productivity and livestock in particular is an effective way of empowering tribal masses and securing their livelihood. An attempt was made in this study to analyze the impact of adoption of cross bred livestock technology on various facets of tribal livelihood. The results revealed that domestication of livestock accounts for large share of family income in tribal areas. It was observed that cross bred livestock are more productive and have improved the income level of tribal households significantly. Additionally, the livelihood indicators were very prominent at livestock farms of adopters and even the capital stock generated at their farms were more compared to non-adopters. The regression estimates confirm that adoption of livestock technology significantly contribute to more farm income. Moreover, there is an apprehension that poor livestock keepers may not benefit much from demand driven growth because of small scale production, illiteracy, meagre holding size, lack of access to credit, poor access to location specific technology, and markets for their produce and their inability to comply with food safety standards are becoming stringent across different tribal regions of Kashmir valley. Findings of the study emphasized upon R&D efforts for evolution of location specific breeds and standardization of package of practices for livestock domestication for tribal areas. Also, there is an urgent need to aware the tribal people about the advantages of adoption of livestock technology and the essential role of extension agencies would have crucial role in the direction.