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Abstract
The livelihood systems of farm households in coastal Orissa have been
analysed based on a sample of 193 farmers. It is found that the incomes of
these households were quite diversified. As against the general impression
that crop income dominates household income, it is observed that the
non-farm income has emerged important in the coastal Orissa. Rice, which
has been traditionally the main source of income in this area, has slipped
to the third position, next to remittances and income from non-farm activities.
The income from non-farm works and rice has accounted for 71 per cent
and 20 per cent of the total income, respectively. The non-farm sources
have contributed more than 90 per cent towards income inequality. The
source-wise income share has also shown a similar trend at the
disaggregated level of farm-size categories. The income share for livestock
has been comparatively high for large farmers. In general, the non-farm
income was 3-times higher than that of the on-farm income for the small
farmers and two-times in case of the larger category. The analysis of
employment pattern shows that the male workers have dominated the
labour market participation. A sizeable proportion of it has been in the
non-farm sector. Creation of more non-farm employment opportunities,
increase in investment on human resource development, more of R&D on
development of rice varieties and tubewell irrigation will be needed to
increase and stabilize household income in the coastal Orissa.