The future of mountain agriculture amidst continual farm-exit, livelihood diversification

The future of mountain agriculture amidst continual farm-exit, livelihood diversification and outmigration in the Central Himalayan villages

Niyati NAUDIYAL;Kusum ARUNACHALAM;Ujjwal KUMAR

【期刊名称】《山地科学学报（英文版）》 【年(卷),期】2019(016)004

【摘要】Agrarian patterns in mountain ecosystems have seen a considerable change in the past decades with a vast proportion of the population abandoning traditional agriculture and diversifying their livelihood options,primarily through out-migration.This trend is especially common amongst the subsistence based family-farming communities in developing countries.This study aims at assessing methods of livelihood diversification and factors influencing farm-exit in Central Himalayan villages of Uttarakhand,India,while trying to understand local perspectives on challenges in pursuing agriculture as a viable livelihood option.We collected qualitative and quantitative data from 951 households across 60 villages evenly distributed across six hill districts of Uttarakhand,using key-person interviews and household surveys.The results of the study highlight that farm-exit is significantly influenced by livelihood diversification,number of migrants,number of female family members,and availability of irrigation facilities.In general,perception of the respondents towards agriculture as a viable