Comparison of vulnerability faced by farmers in different livestock farming and coping mechanisms

The study was conducted in the north eastern zone of the state of Tamil Nadu in Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Villupuram districts. A total of200 respondents i.e. comprising of forty each in cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat and pig farming were selected from the three districts. A list of 24 vulnerabilities under the major domains viz., environmental, technological, personal, social and economic were developed to find out the extent of vulnerabilities faced by the respondents in their concerned enterprise. The livestock farmers expressed that among the environmental vulnerable factors, they considered limited availability of grazing area to be major vulnerable factor and they fed tree leaves, dry fodder and concentrates to livestock as a coping strategy. Limited availability of technical personnel was perceived as the first and foremost technological factor by livestock farmers and the coping mechanism was use of traditional medicine or consulting local quacks. The top personal vulnerable factor was taking up migration of young family members from livestock farming while selling of livestock or reducing the herd size were expressed as strategies to overcome the same. Prime social vulnerable factor for livestock farmers was peer pressure/social pressure to shift from present livestock enterprise to non livestock enterprise and livestock farmers ignore the pressure/keep farm away from human dwelling or either reduce farm size. Lack of voice in deciding price of animal/produce was ranked first economic vulnerable factor by livestock farmers and to overcome direct selling (farmer to farmer) and selling at traders price was done by them.