The study examines importance and role of goats as source of milk and income for rural poor. It is based on primary data collected from 262 goat keeping households of semiarid parts of Uttar Pradesh (irrigated) and Rajasthan (un-irrigated). The goats were found to have contributed significantly to family's livelihood security. The families of goat keepers had access to goat milk for a period of about 190 to 264 days in a year. The net annual income was estimated to be Rs.1302 to 1873/goat/annum. The goats alone contributed 49 to 86 per cent to the households’ total income. The paper also highlights the advantages of goat milk.
Economic contribution, Farmers, Goats, Livelihood security, Semiarid
