Livestock Livelihoods

 India has the largest livestock population in the world. Livestock forms an important part of the livelihoods of the rural poor in India particularly among the landless, small and marginal farmers and women. Livestock sector plays an important role in the national economy and in the socio-economic development of the country. Though the major players in the sector are small livestock holders, the government policies are much favorable to the large exporters than the small holders. There is a strong need for these small holders to come together to make government work for them.

Forest-based Occupations

More than 300 million in India depend on forests for their livelihoods either directly or indirectly. Of this number nearly 100 million actually live in the forests. The richness of Indian forests has been an abode of wealth for a broad range of societies from the traditional hunter-gatherers, NTFP collectors, shifting cultivators to the neo-rich industrialized timber-based economies. But over a period of time the traditional forest-based communities are losing out; their traditional rights to forests are being impinged upon; development vs environment dilemmas have become over-arching. Combining native knowledge with scientific inputs can help enhance the forest-based livelihoods of the poor in a sustainable manner. ‘livelihoods’ attempts to understand the variety of opportunities/ occupations that forests throw up and the emerging trends in this context. 

Rural Non-farm Livelihoods

Among the rural poor in India, non-farm livelihoods are a part of a diversified livelihood portfolio and trends indicate that non-farm component is increasingly emerging as a strong player in the income of the rural poor household. Influences of urbanization and globalization have brought about significant changes in the rural non-farm segment. While most of the agriculture-dependent traditional non-farm livelihoods are undergoing rapid changes and majority of them are struggling to retain their ground, some new ones like livelihoods in rural transport sector, construction sector, retail and tourism are gaining ground. ‘livelihoods’ team attempts to understand the trends, trails and tribulations of rural non-farm livelihoods in India which account for nearly 30 to 40 per cent of rural incomes.  

Cover Story: Migration

Migration is emerging as a significant part of the livelihood portfolio for the poor. Income from migration has become more significant for the poorest areas of the country and sometimes exceeds income generated locally. Regional imbalances in development contribute to the push and pull factors of migration. About 30 million + are engaged in temporary/seasonal migration. Migrant labour constitute important building blocks of urban growth centers but their contribution largely goes unrecognized. Instead of emphasizing and making efforts to bridge intra-state and inter-state development gaps, short-term measures are being taken up to slow down and stop migration. Recognizing that migration is every individual’s choice, ‘livelihoods’ team attempts to understand the patterns, trends and issues around migration.

Cover Story: Street Vending

Street vendors make ‘invisible’ but indispensable contribution to all categories of people in India and to the national economy. However the returns they get are trivial both in terms of income or appreciation. Being part of the informal sector they are deprived of several   benefits that their counterparts enjoy in the organized sector. At least one out of five families is having a livelihood of street vending. There are some street vendors who move from house-to-house or street-to-street; there are some who bring home the products and the tools at the end-of-the-day after sales at a certain points or set of points of sale on the street/s; some are using foot paths and some others are using temporary shops and the diversity goes on into their other aspects of trade. ’livelihoods’ attempts to explore some of this largely diverse sector that seems to have something for all and all for some......

Cover Story: Minority Livelihoods

Minorities in India do not practice livelihoods any different from rest of the majority population. Most minorities in India live in the urban areas. They are engaged in all sectors including agriculture, industry and some minorities are more predominantly found in the service sector. However, this is not to gainsay the fact that some livelihoods are exclusively practiced by minorities to service their respective religions’. At the same time one cannot overlook the inter-religion exchange of services that also take place. Religious conversions have not made a serious dent in the occupations that people traditionally followed. Religion-based educational institutions did make some impact on the way different minorities have placed themselves in different sectors. ‘livelihoods’ teams attempts to understand some significant dimensions associated with ‘minority’ livelihoods and how they come into play with respect to livelihoods in general.