Towards Improving Livelihoods in Mountains : Options and Strategies
Traditionally, the farming activities, including animal husbandry form the economic base and the main source of livelihood and employment in rural areas of Uttarakhand. However, increasing population coupled with decreasing arable land per farm household due to several constraints-natural as well as manmade-have increased the problems of employment and sustaining the livelihood of farming households, particularly for tiny farm holders. The present study has been centred around examining the possibility of initiating diversification in farming system through developing an appropriate and environmentally feasible land use pattern under different cropping systems so that the per hectare productivity and returns from scarcely available arable land could be maximized to such an extent to which the concerned option could be useful for creating additional productive employment opportunities and improving the livelihood situation of farming households in different geographical locations of the State.
