Better livelihoods through improvement of livestock production and marketing in North East India

The main agricultural activity of farmers in Northeast India is the mixed crop-livestock system characterized with low inputs and outputs, making poor farmers suffer from decreasing sustainability.  Livestock, especially pig and poultry, is a key livelihood among the farming rural families and provides food for consumption, sources of income and capital and socio-cultural needs.  ILRI’s study in 2007 revealed that there is an increasing demand for livestock products in the region.  In Nagaland, pork demand has increased from 15-25% over seven years.  The region procures 10 millon eggs and 2500 tonnes of milk every month.  These suggest that livestock raising is a large opportunity to improve the livelihoods among poor farmers in the region.   To create more opportunities, identify constraints and build capacities among poor farmers of Northeast India states, ILRI and ICAR is implementing a market and demand driven study of livestock production and its marketing.  This study highlights indigenous methods, gender involvement, and enabling local administrative structures and their roles in livelihood and sustainability.  

Objectives

• Assess the contribution of livestock to the livelihoods of the target communities.
• Assess the market for livestock products and opportunities for improving marketing and market efficiency.
• Evaluate, test and promote viable and sustainable options for improved feeding, breeding and management practices.
• Build capacity of stakeholders in conducting participatory approaches to research on livestock-based farming systems for livelihood security.
• Develop suitable institutional and policy measures for promoting sustainability of improved practices.