Farmers Clubs and Livelihood Opportunities through Livestock Development: An Analysis in Select Villages of Nagapattinam District, Tamil Nadu

By : P. Balamurugan

Page No: 56-61

Abstract
Livestock provides livelihood to two-third of rural community. It also provides employment to about 8.8 per cent of the population in India. India has vast livestock resources. Livestock sector contributes 4.11 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) and 25.6 per cent of total agricultural GDP. Traditionally, livestock maintenance like country side cows and bulls breeding was done as an important part of the farming system. Cow milk, cow dung and cow urine were useful to organic farming and useful in maintaining sustainable environment for human health and natural resources development. At this juncture, an attempt has been made to analyse the uses of cow-based products and their importance to sustainable development in villages, where almost all households engage in cow breeding activities as part of livelihood support.

Author :
P. Balamurugan : Assistant Professor and Principal Investigator, ICSSR Major Research Project, Centre for Rural Development, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar, India