Livelihood Status of Rainfed Farmers in Chitradurga District of Karnataka

The present investigation was conducted in Chitradurga district of Karnataka where two taluks were selected to assess the livelihood status of rainfed farmers, ninety respondents were selected using purposive random sampling method. Data was collected using structured interview schedule through personal interview method. Ex-post facto Research design was employed for the study. The findings revealed that 43.3 per cent of farmers had poor livelihood status followed by 38.9 per cent had average and 17.8 per cent had better livelihood status. The study also reveals that 33.3 per cent of respondents practiced crop production with dairy & sheep, 18.9 per cent crop production with sheep, 15.6 per cent crop production alone, 14.4 per cent crop production with dairy, 11.1 per cent crop production with labours and 6.7 per cent crop production with business & other sources. Majority of the farmers in rainfed situation were found tohave average livelihood status. Hence, there is need to improve the livelihood status of farmers in rainfed situation by providing required and adequate facilities viz., irrigation, agricultural inputs, technical guidance and market for the produce at village level to carry out farming more effectively.