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Economic Viability of Small and Marginal Farms in Himachal Pradesh: A Comparative Study of Tribal and Non-Tribal Areas, Tilak Raj, Department of Economics, HPU, Shimla

The study emerges from the fact that about 84 per cent of the holdings of the state belong to small and marginal categories. Such farms if un-viable will have far-reaching consequences not only for the farming sector but for the over all economy of the state as well. The results of the study are envisaged to have impact in terms of developing and implementing the development initiative and re-defining the existing policy framework. The present work has been done with the objective to study the financial viability of small and marginal farmers located in tribal and non-tribal areas of Himachal Pradesh. At the same time the scopes of diversification for increasing the farm income and to study how a sustainable agricultural system can be used for imparting viability to the non-viable farms. The results of the study indicated that all the farms in tribal and non-tribal areas were found financially viable, i.e. they were capable of meeting production on such farms. However, when it was analyzed that whether the farms were truly viable in the sense of being able to bear the household expenditure, it was found that none of the farms were viable in the both areas. The study further suggests that in order to achieve sustainability in agriculture in both the tribal and non-tribal areas of the State some physical and social efforts need to be adopted. Natural farming system, organic farming, utilization of urban garbage, use of livestock energy, tree plantation, appropriate cropping pattern and land management are some of the physical aspects which need proper attention on the field. At the same time the study has also find the constraints in economic viability of agriculture in the tribal and non tribal areas.

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