Farming in coastal sands: income and employment generation for small farmers

Salt water intrusion, cyclones and marketing have been emerging as major problems in coastal agriculture. This study was conducted in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh in 2017–18. Data collected from 71 small farmers in four coastal mandals of the district were analyzed in terms of cropping pattern, livestock, fisheries, etc. Results show that although paddy is grown as a main crop, other crops such as maize, green gram, okra, chilli, crossandra, gongura, jasmine, line leaf, marigold, mint and ocimum offer greater scope for income and employment generation. Besides, milch animals also fetch as much as Rs. 14608/milch animal. The net returns are also higher for shrimp farmers to the extent of Rs. 3,26,392/ha. Regression results show that farm size, family size, number of milch animals, number of crops cultivated, educational status, ownership and shrimp culture have a positive influence on household income.