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Type : Other Article

Constraints Impeding Livelihood Diversification of Farmers in West Bengal

Biswarup Saha and Ram Bahal

Abstract

Livelihood diversification is a key strategy by which people in many parts of the world try to improve their wellbeing. Livelihood Diversification has come under increasing scrutiny because of their powerful and pervasive impacts. DFID adopting Livelihood diversification as central to its strategy for meeting the goals set out in its 1997 White Paper ‘Eliminating World Poverty. However, farmers are often not able to construct productive strategies to diversify their livelihood because of overwhelming odds. Drawing on research from Darjeeling and Uttar Dinajpur districts of West Bengal this paper presented evidence that despite the vast potentiality to diversify the livelihood towards farm and non-farm activities in the study area, there were problems such as negative perception of the community, lack of marketing facilities for the product, absence of storage infrastructure, lack of improved technology and skills, inadequate or no experience on new occupation, shyness in doing socially underestimate work, lack of business start- up budget and absence of wide market for the non-farm output. There were also lacks of potential researches to study the effect of non-farm activities on farm production and to identify the major problems that hamper the non-farm sector. State machinery should play a facilitator€™s role in terms of promoting investment in infrastructure such as road, electricity, irrigation facility. etc. more of a decentalised operations for government programmes, especially using the local institution for greater efficiency and better outreach was needed. Availability of support services such as credit to rural producers through appropriate changes in policies and delivery mechanisms should be ensured for sustainable development of farmers

Keyword: Livelihood diversificatio

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