Income and Employment Generation through Contract Goat Farming in Odisha

The present study has been taken up with the objective to find out the income and employment generation through informal contract goat farming (CGF) in Western Odisha. Data were collected through personal interview from randomlyselected 60 contract goat farmers and 30 contractors associated with these contract farmers. Also 60 noncontract farmers (general goat farmers) were selected randomly to compare with the contract goat farmers in certain variables. Study revealed that CGF provided a good source of alternative income and employment generation opportunity for the landless and marginal farmers whose socioeconomic conditions were quite poor in comparison to the noncontractgoat farmers. Further, more number of youth participation was seen in contract farming in comparison to noncontract farming. Also about 17 per cent youth were involved in CGF as contractors. Study revealed that CGF contributes about 27.83 per cent to the gross annual income whereas goatery as a whole (own goat and contract goats) contributes around 43.28 per cent to the gross annual income of the contract goat farmers. The average annual income from CGF was about was `13, 950 as a whole and `1, 826 per animal for the contract farmers and `1, 965 for contractor. The average employment generated through CGF was calculated to be about 229 mandays for contract farmers and 15 mandays for the contractors in a year.