Study on Socio-Economic Status and Constraints Faced by The Livestock Farmers of the Aspirational Districts of West Bengal, India

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue VII, July 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186

Study on Socio-Economic Status and Constraints Faced by The Livestock Farmers of the Aspirational Districts of West Bengal, India

Sreetama Bhattacharjee*, K. C. Dhara, S. S. Kesh, S. Ghosh, P. Dasgupta (Das), A. K. Giri, B. Sarkar, S. Roy, S. Bose, A Dey
DBT Project on Establishment of Biotech-KISAN Hub at WBUAFS, Kolkata
Directorate of Research, Extension & Farms
West Bengal University of Animal & Fishery Sciences
*Corresponding author

Abstract: The study was conducted on socio-economic status and constraints faced by the farmers in purposively selected five aspirational districts (as identified by the NITI Aayog, Govt. of India) of West Bengal. Respondents were randomly selected from each district with a total sample size of 4285 number of farmers for the present study. The data was collected with the help of a pre-tested structured interview schedule. The study of various socio-economic indicators suggests that the majority of animal husbandry and fishery farmers in the aspirational districts were illiterate and belong to the most active age group, Hindu religion, and with lower economic status. Cultivation was the main occupation of the majority of farmers to maintain livelihood security. The analysis also revealed that the majority of the farmers were also engaged in livestock rearing. Finally, it also depicted various constraints like lack of training facilities, education etc. These were the major drawbacks for the upliftment of the socio-economic status of the farmers in the five selected districts of West Bengal which might be very much informative in the formulation of specific animal husbandry development plan in the study area.

Keywords: Animal Husbandry, Socio-Economic, Constraints, Aspirational Districts.

I.INTRODUCTION

Agriculture and allied activities, mainly livestock, continues to be the backbone of rural economy and play a key role in socio-economic development, income generation, and wellbeing of the rural farmers in West Bengal. Livestock plays a pivotal role in supplementing family income and generating gainful employment in the rural sector. Over the last few decades, economic activities in West Bengal are showing structural changes. The contribution of Agriculture and allied sector in labor force is declining. Though India possesses the richest animal wealth in the world, the productivity in the livestock sector is low. Differences in the socio-economic conditions of the livestock farmers could be another reason behind it. In this context, it’s vital to study of the socio-economic status of the livestock farmers of rural areas.
In view of the socio-economic development status, the NITI Ayog has identified some districts as aspirational districts throughout the country based

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