DETERMINANTS OF HOUSEHOLD INCOME AND CHOICE OF ALTERNATIVE LIVELIHOODS: CASE STUDY OF RUSHIKULYA FISHERS, ODISHA

Fishers around the protected Rushikulya rookery in Ganjam district, Odisha face job loss for seven months (i.e., November-May) every year due to the fishing ban in vogue. A study was undertaken to understand the present socio-economic status, document on-going livelihood activities and assess preferences for possible alternative livelihood options.

The primary household level data was collected using a pre-tested interview schedule. Descriptive statistics was used to summarise the results. A logistic regression model was fitted on the socio-economic variables on dichotomous household per capita income to identify key factors influencing the income variable while Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was employed for knowing the choice priority of fishers among the alternative livelihood options.

The results revealed that about 70% of the respondents were middle-aged (36-59), more than half had no literacy (54%), and were mainly from the two lower castes namely Nolias (71%) and Keutas (29%). With the average family size of 4.2, they had an average monthly per capita income of ₹3741. Logistic regression model predicted secondary occupation, family size and fishing experience to be the significant factors determining the household income, with model prediction accuracy of 81.6%. Alternative livelihood activities, grouped into two activities as fisheries related and non-fisheries related, such as "Fish marketing / business" (29%) and "Poultry farming" (15%) were perceived to have highest priority by fisher households. Thus, the findings could help in framing appropriate livelihood strategies for the upliftment of Rushikulya fishers.