Livelihood Diversification and Economic Resilience among Tribal Communities in Assam: Evidence from Secondary Data

Abstract

The paper reviews the livelihood diversification and economic resilience of the ST communities in Assam, covering the occupational structure, dependence on agriculture and non-farm employment and access to livelihood opportunities. The study adopts secondary data research design that relies on official statistical publications, labor-force reports, tribal development documents and recent research that have been published since 2023. The master data for analysis of Scheduled Tribes is Census 2011 and for more recent labor-market information, Periodic Labor Force Survey (PLFS) is available but the data lacks subgroup inference at the state level. The evidence shows that livelihood resilience is not measured just in terms of transitioning from agriculture to non-agricultural activities. It relies on the quality, frequency and stability of employment; access to productive assets; education and skills; market linkages; financial services; social protection; gender relations and climate and price shocks. Agriculture continues to be significant as it is practiced (cultivation), as agriculture is practiced (agricultural labor), as livestock is practiced (livestock), as forestry is practiced (forest-linked activities) and as local exchange is practiced (local exchange) and as wages are earned (wage work), as construction is done (construction), as public service is taken (public employment), as small trade is practiced (small trade), as transport is carried out (transport), as services are provided (services), as handlooms are produced (handlooms) and as other household enterprises are undertaken (other household enterprises). While diversification can lessen dependence on one source of income, casual/lower paid employment can also result in a transfer of risk. The paper outlines a diversification framework for the analysis of diversification along income, occupation, seasonality and shock recovery. It highlights information gaps such as the lack of disaggregated statistics for individual tribal communities in recent years, and the lack of longitudinal evidence. The priority areas of the policy range from the development of skills which are relevant to the area, producer groups and micro-enterprises, adaptation to climate change and agriculture, equal access to assets and markets, improving public employment delivery, digital connectivity and transport connectivity, and collecting and harmonizing tribal livelihood statistics.