Change in Occupation from Agriculture to Non-Agricultural Sectors by the Tribal People of Mayurbhanj District, Odisha

Being the major incumbent of Mayurbhanj District having share of 58.72% of the total population that is in the biggest district of the state of Odisha, the tribal people mainly depends on cultivation, collection of forest products, livestock rearing, casual labour jobs. But meantime the income from farming is going to be in decreasing mode for which most of the tribal people move to other places to find alternative livelihood options in lean period. The study was undertaken to find out the intensity of the occupational mobility of the tribal people of Mayurbhanj district of Odisha from the agriculture to non-agricultural activities. In the district there are four sub divisions from which one block from each sub divisions were selected randomly comprising of four blocks namely Badasahi, Khunta, Jashipur and Bahalada for the study. Five villages under each block were chosen randomly likewise twenty villages in total were taken under the study area. Purposefully six tribal people were taken as respondents with a sample size of 120 in total. The results implied that most of the tribal people had primary occupation on the agriculture (26.66%), livestock rearing (15.83%), wage earning (21.66%) and collection of forest produce (17.50%) as well as secondary occupation in that place very few were under miscellaneous activity and business sectors. But according to present occupation of the tribal people it was shown wide diversity of primary and secondary occupation engaging multifarious sectors. From the finding it was inferred that majority of the tribal people had been migrated in the summer season regularly (54.16%) which might be due to lack of livelihood option. Furthermore, it was observed that most of the respondents (38.33%) were going for other occupation regularly inside the gram panchayat area however mobility of the tribal people inside and outside state had only 15.00% and 06.00% respectively. On the basis of the study it is suggested for developing more investments and creation of basic infrastructural facilities like irrigation, market avenue storage facility, application of sophisticated techniques and expand of farm mechanization to make the agricultural sector more lucrative and profitable to check mobility from agriculture to non-agriculture sector of the tribal people. It is also suggested to improve educational status, skills, entrepreneurship spirit, swift credit linkage among tribal people through to attract more people in the agriculture and allied sector.