A Scale to Measure Success in Livelihood Diversification

This paper shows the methodology of constructing a scale to examine the success of diversified livelihoods among farmers in West Bengal, India. The food security, coping ability, gross return per unit investment, net income, satisfaction in diversified livelihood and employment generation for self considered very critical indicators which accounted for 75 per cent of the total scale value. We represent adaptation actions as choices within a response space that includes coping but also longer-term adaptation actions, and define success as those actions which enhance food security, promote system resilience, increaseemployment opportunity for all family members, and hence generate and sustain collective action. Further with the administration of the scale among 160 respondents in the study area the outcomes found that 115 respondents were diversified their livelihood. In this way out of diversified farmers, 61 were found in successful group and the rest 54 in unsuccessful group. Majority of the diversifiers (62.50%) under the high success category were adopted non-farming nature of diversification along with farm diversification. Successful diversifiers were found having significantly higher mean score as to material possession, resource mobilistion potentiality, annual income of the households, credit seeking behaviour, credit utilization behaviour, aspiration, number of livestock, education, family education status, contact with extension personnel, awareness about different area of diversification, availability of financial assets, share of non-farm income as against unsuccessful diversifiers. The scale as well as the different factors to achieve success in livelihood diversification was attempted in the paper would be useful for the researchers and policy makers to assess and compare the livelihood security of different rural communities in the country.