Study of Preference of Fishermen Community of Gopalpur Coast, Odisha towards Alternative Livelihood Options

Increasing populations along the coast are thought to be resulting in added pressure on limited and increasingly vulnerable coastal resources. While many of the coastal poor fishermen depend on the natural environment to sustain their livelihoods, they are unable to derive and adequate livelihood and continue to remain in poverty. Alternative livelihoods in this situation are seen as a solution to combat poverty by providing alternative means of deriving an income. The present study was conducted during 2011 taking 120 respondents from six villages namely, Gopalpur, Sana Arjipalli, Bada Arjipalli, Haripur, New Buxipalli and Purunabandha along Gopalpur coast of Odisha for their preference twards alternative livelihod. Among the 23 alternative livelihood options, 7 numbers of alternative livelihood options were identified as perceived by the respondents of six coastal villages of different category household. They were dry fish preparing, dry fish marketing, poultry rearing, goat/sheep/pig rearing, vegetable marketing, establishment of grocery shop and vegetable farming. Out of these 7 important alternative livelihood options, dry fish preparation and dry fish marketing were fishery based activities; poultry and goat/sheep/pig rearing were livestock based activities and vegetable marketing and farming were agriculture based activities and establishment of grocery shops are income generating activities. Looking to the different household livelihood system, all categories were interested to take up dry fish preparation and dry fish marketing. However, 42.5 per cent respondents including all the low group and only 15.85 per cent of middle group household respondents took interest for poultry rearing as well as goat/sheep/pig rearing as alternative livelihood option. Besides, 19.16 per cent respondents took interest in vegetable marketing as alternative livelihood option. Besides, among the income generation activities as alternative livelihood option, establishment of grocery shop was the choice of 16.66 per cent respondents.