Livestock-Crop Production Systems and Livelihood Development

Indias livestock sector has been growing at an impressive rate of about 5 to 6 per cent a year. Livestock sector plays a significant role in supplementing family income and generating gainful employment in the rural sector, particularly among the landless, marginal and small farmers and women, besides providing cheap nutritional food to millions of people. Livestock has been an integral part of the farming systems in India, particularly in Orissa, since time immemorial. It is pursued as a subsistence occupation to agriculture mainly to provide food for human consumption, draught power and obtain dung manure for crop production. Livestock rearing is closely integrated with crop raising activities. There is a need to enhance the productivity of livestock sector and crops through appropriate technological interventions to ensure transformation of livestock sector towards commercialization. In this pioneering study an attempt has been made to explore the issues in sustainable development of livestock-crop production systems with a view to ensure food and livelihood security. Sincere efforts have been made to ascertain the potential of livestock sector for increasing income and employment through adoption of improved technology in various livestock-crop production systems in the state of Orissa vis-à-vis India. A detailed picture of farming households, livestock-crop raising activities, major livestock-crop production systems, cost and returns, input-output relationship in livestock and crops, and income and employment generation from both the activities have been given. The constraints in livestock and crop production activities have been outlined. The book addresses the problems of livestock-crop production systems with emphasis on community livelihood development. Certain policy measures have been suggested for accomplishing higher level of growth. This book will be useful to postgraduate students of Economics/Agricultural Economics, research scholars, livestock economists and other professionals working in the livestock and crop production systems. The book will provide insight to planners and policy makers in designing appropriate policy framework for development of livestock and crop sectors.