European Journal of Environmental Ecology

STRENGTHENING THE LIVELIHOOD OF TRIBAL FARMERS THROUGH SUPPLY OF QUALITY SEED UNDER TRIBAL SUB-PLAN PROJECT AT MAHBUBNAGAR DISTRICT

I.Swarnalatha Devi*

sld_66@yahoo.co.in

Tribal Sub Plan, evaluation, implementation

The tribal population of India constitutes around 8% of total population distributed over 94,000 tribal villages. Tribals are mainly concentrated in Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, West Bengal, North-Eastern States and North-Western Himalayan States. They had been collecting resources from forest without causing any damage to it. The forest provides them with food and livelihood security. Since tribal communities live in close proximity with biodiversity rich landscapes, they have evolved local specific and novel livelihood strategies based on their indigenous knowledge [1]. This knowledge was passed on through generations and it played an important role in the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. By and large, they were depending on nature for their survival. Increase in agricultural production through crop diversification and related technologies enhanced opportunities for rural livelihoods in tribal mandal Amrabad, Mahbubnagar District. Seed is the most basic, critical and vital input for the sustainability in growth of agricultural production. The scarcity of quality seed, its timely unavailability, non-availability of quality seed of adopted varieties, high seed price and role of the middle-man in seed distribution were the challenges before tribal farmers in process of seed availability of adopted improved varieties. Agriculture is the main livelihood for more than 70% tribal households. However, low/fragmented landholding, less rainfall, high soil erosion and insufficient infrastructure restrain agriculture productivity [2.] Further, primitive agriculture practices of tribal farmers, particularly less crop diversification, incompatibility between crop selection and resource conditions intensify the problem. The present study has been conducted in Mahbubnagar district of Andhra Pradesh for implementation of TSP (Tribal Sub Plan). Accordingly, the focus of the study is on evaluation and implementation of the programme. It is observed that the tribal farmers are slowly coming far ward to take up seed production of improved varieties. A total of 10.0 q/acre of Groundnut and 8.0 q/acre of Castor are produced by the tribal farmers.