Risk management through livestock rearing in dry land agriculture

Risk is an integral part of agriculture as farmers confront various types of risks in farming. These risks may be from the changing climatic cycle, disease and pest infestation and demand-supply fluctuations resulting in price fluctuations. In the dry land regions of Rajasthan, farmers are more prone to climate and rainfall hazards. The farmers of these regions use livestock rearing as supplementary activity on their farm which acts as support system in lean periods of farming when the rainfall is very low and erratic. Livestock is highly potential sector in Rajasthan. It is not only a subsidiary occupation to agriculture, but is a major economic activity especially in the arid and semi-arid regions of Rajasthan. Other than providing source of livelihood, it provides food security and insurance against poverty. This study has been done in dryland region of Rajasthan to do a comparative analysis of income from different crop activities vis-à-vis livestock activity. The study was based on primary data for the year 2015–16. 10 districts of dryland region of the state were selected. One tehsil from each district and one village from each tehsil were selected having highest area under that crop.10 farmers were selected from each village. Important crops and Livestock activities were studied for all the selected sample farmers.In the study area, an average farmer owned three to ten livestock per household. The income from livestock per household per year ranged from `18169 in Bikaner district to` 264982 in Barmer district. The contribution of income livestock was compared with the income from major crop of the selected districts. In Barmer district, the income from livestock was 1.7 times more than income from moth production per household. In Jhunjhunu district, income from livestock per household was ` 243423 which was at par with income ` 245579 per per household. In Barmer district, income from livestock was ` 51150 per household which was one fourth of income from cumin production. Thus, rearing of livestock by the farmers was certainly helpful in risk management in addition to financial support to the dryland farmers.