Livelihood Security of Small and Marginal Farm Households in Punjab

The present study was conducted to assess the livelihood security of farm households. The study was conducted in the rural areas of Fatehgarh Sahib and Ludhiana districts of Punjab. A total of 88 small and marginal farm households selected from eight villages of four blocks in selected districts were interviewed through a stratified random selection technique. The analyses of data showed that the number of nuclear families was almost double to joint families. Only 6.81 percent of the households had an income of more than (sic) five lakhs per annum. The majority of the households had medium to low levels of household livelihood security. The districts were characterized by a low level of educational and economic security. More than half of the households were in favour of a joint family system for better livelihood security. The study suggested that livelihood security could be improved by providing skill-based education in rural schools and off-farm employment opportunities.