An Assessment of the Socio-Economic Status of Bargur Buffalo Farmers in the Native Tract
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48165/ijapm.2025.41.3.8Keywords:
Socio-economic profile, Buffalo farming, Bargur buffalo, Tamil NaduAbstract
The present study was undertaken to analyze the socio-economic characteristics of Bargur buffalo farmers in their native tract. Data were collected from 100 selected respondents using a pre-tested and structured interview schedule over five months. The results revealed that most of the respondents were female (57%), highlighting the significant role of women in buffalo-rearing activities. Most farmers were middle-aged or elderly (87%) and belonged to nuclear family structures (57%). A large proportion (88%) were from the Backward Class and possessed marginal landholdings (83%). Regarding educational status, 61% had primary education, and 40% were illiterate. Agriculture was the primary occupation for 97% of the respondents, and the annual income of most farmers ranged from low to moderate income. Livestock ownership was generally small, with 58% of farmers maintaining three to five buffaloes each. Notably, 76% of the respondents had more than 10 years of experience in buffalo rearing, reflecting the traditional nature of the occupation. However, none of the respondents had received formal training in buffalo management or husbandry. These findings emphasize the need for targeted capacity-building programs and strengthened extension services to enhance productivity and ensure livelihood security among farmers.
References
Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics (BAHS). 2024. Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India, New Delhi, India.
Beerala Naga Venkata Sowmya. 2023. Livelihood security by buffalo farming: A study among farmers in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh. M.V.Sc. Thesis, Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University, Tirupati, India.
Clement Ebenezer Henry, A., Sivakumar, T., Ramesh, M. Ramachandran, and G. Rajarajan. 2021. Management practices and constraints in crossbred cattle rearing in the Cauvery delta region of Tamil Nadu. Pharma Innovation Journal, SP-10(4): 219–226.
Dagar, A. 2021. An analytical study on livelihood security among tribal women in Southern Rajasthan. Ph.D. Thesis, Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India.
Gautam, P. K., and S. K. Jha. 2022. Analysis of livelihood diversification among households in the Bundelkhand region. Indian Research Journal of Extension Education, 22(4): 1–6.
Gopi, R., N. Narmatha, K. M. Sakthivel, V. Uma, and M. Jothilakshmi. 2017. Socio-economic characteristics and their relationship with information-seeking patterns of dairy farmers in Tamil Nadu, India. Asian Journal of Dairy and Food Research, 36(1): 16–20.
Gurav, K. V., D. K. Kamble, and U. D. Jagdale. 2014. Socio-economic characteristics and suggestions of women members of Farmers-Scientists Forum in dairy farming. Agriculture Update, 9(1): 51–53.
Islam, S., T. N. Nahar, J. Begum, G. K. Deb, M. Khatun, and A. Mustafa. 2018. Study on consumer behavior on buffalo meat: Marketing perspective. Journal of Food Research, 7(2): 77–85.
Jhamb, S. 2021. Assessment of livelihood security of farmers in Malwa region of Punjab. M.S. Thesis, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India.
Kumar, S., S. P. Yadav, H. S. Chauhan, V. Dantare, Sahu, and Rajkumar. 2017. Housing management practices followed by dairy buffalo owners in Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh. Journal of Experimental Zoology India, 20(2): 873–878.
Raja, K. N., A. K. Mishra, V. Vohra, P. Ganapathi, and R. K. Vijh. 2019. Buffalo genetic resource of India: Bargur (Monograph No. 118). National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal, India, and the Animal Genetic Resources Information System (AnGR).
Rajadurai, A., K. Rajamanickam, and N. Kumeravelu. 2020. Socio-economic profile of the dairy farmers in Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu. Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies, 8(2): 13.
Sajeev, M. V., and A. K. Singha. 2010. Capacity building through KVKs: Training needs analysis of farmers of Arunachal Pradesh. Indian Research Journal of Extension Education, 10(1): 83–90.
Sindhu, G., and K. Shibi Thomas. 2024. Problems of small-scale rural poultry women entrepreneurs and strategies to unravel the problems. pp. 343–347. In: Compendium of International Conference on Innovative Education, Research and Extension Approaches for Transmitting Scientific Know-how to Augment Livestock Production in the Contemporary Scenario, Tamil Nadu, India.
Talukder, A. K., M. A. Rahman, M. A. Isla, M. T. Islam, A. S. M. Selim, A. K. Paul, and M. A. Rahman. 2015. Evaluation of health care and husbandry system of calves at buffalo farms in southern Bangladesh. SAARC Journal of Agriculture, 13(2): 108–120.
Twentieth Livestock Census. 2019. All India Report. Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India, New Delhi.
Upadhyay, M., and C. M. Yadav. 2015. Involvement of members and non-members of women dairy co-operatives in dairy husbandry activities. Indian Journal of Animal Production Management, 31(1–2): 4–7.
Vimal Rajkumar, N., R. S. Jiji, and P. J. Rajkamal. 2013. Training needs of dairy farm instructors in fodder production and management. Journal of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, 44: 46–50.
