Agricultural sector is predominant in the economy of Jammu and
Kashmir and provides livelihood to the majority of the population. The
overall economic growth of the state depends largely on the progress of
agricultural sector, since only a very nominal progress has been achieved
in the secondary as well as in the tertiary sectors. It is well recognized
that the livelihood of those dependent on agricultural sector is
unsustainable which necessitates the creation of supplementary sources
to raise it to a sustainable level. Household livelihood diversification is
a strategy to minimize risk and uncertainty. In the case of fragile region
like Jammu and Kashmir, this strategy is especially important. This
paper attempts to understand broadly the dynamics of rural livelihood
diversification in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The paper makes use
of secondary sources of information to realize the objectives of the
study. The findings are that agriculture remains as a dominant livelihood
strategy among workers in the state despite the shift to manufacturing
and tertiary activities over the period, that is, 1983 to 2004-05. So, it
becomes necessary to organize state agriculture in such a manner that
the limited land resource is made to yield maximum returns through the
application of modern technology. This would increase the well-being
of those dependent on agricultural sector for their livelihood. This paper
also throws up some issues, which one can delineate further at microlevel.
Key Words: Livelihood Diversification, Coping Strategies, Capital
Assets, Occupational Structure, Jammu and Kashmir.
Jel Classification: Q, Q 0
