Livelihood Improvement & Empowerment of Rural Poor through Sustainable Farming Systems in North East India
ILRI is working on a sub-project entitled: Better livelihoods through improvement on livestock production and marketing in North East India. This project is to adopt a Farming Systems Approach towards improving the livelihoods of some of the most disadvantaged communities in North East India. ILRI will focus on improving livelihoods through improving the production and marketing of livestock.
The mainstay of the economy of the North East states of India is agriculture and its related activities. Unfortunately, they are on the decline with slash and burn agriculture still being practised. There is a reduced fallow cycle of 2-3 years against 10-15 years in the past and steep slopes are also being cultivated. Agriculture is practised in mixed crop-livestock systems but with low inputs and low outputs. This sub-project therefore focuses on the constraints that have contributed to the decline to enable significant opportunities be fully exploited. Maximum exploitation of these opportunities will improve the livelihoods of the most disadvantaged communities for whom livestock rearing is an integral part of their household farming activity. The overall project focuses on seven of the most disadvantaged districts in North East India excluding Assam. ILRI is participating in one of the target areas; Mon District in Nagaland. It intends to benefit poor livestock keepers in target villages in Nagaland Objectives
- To assess the contribution of livestock to the livelihoods of the target communities
- To assess the market for livestock products and opportunities for improving marketing and market efficiency
- To evaluate, test and promote viable and sustainable options for improved feeding, breeding and management practices
- To build capacity among stakeholders in participatory approaches to research on livestock-based farming systems for livelihood security
- To ensure suitable institutional and policy measures are developed for promoting sustainability of improved practices
Contact persons: Dr. K. M. Bujarbaruah, Director, ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Barapani, Meghalaya Dr. K. K. Satapathy, Principal Scientist ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Barapani, Meghalaya ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Umroi Road Umiam, Meghalaya Tel: 0364 – 2570 257/ 276: fax 0364 – 2570213/355 kmbujarbaruah@rediffmail.com, kks_neh@rediffmail.com
