While agrarian stress has become a long-term phenomenon in the developing countries like India and land is likely to lose its importance as a determinant of wealth and power in rural areas, households are coping, adapting and securing their livelihood through diversification into non-agricultural activities. The study is aimed to understand the process of out-migration and income diversification of households in rural areas. It is based on the primary survey of a block of an underdeveloped region like the state of Bihar in north India. The study based on field experiences shows that the size of agricultural economy has become very small and it can hardly support the household economy while the expenditure is increasingly diversifying and household needs more income in cash. Households are adapting to the situation by using their available young male labour force, deploying them at different locations and earning remittances.
BebbingtonA. (1999). Capitals and capabilities: A framework for analyzing peasant viability, rural livelihoods and poverty. World Development, 27(12), 2021–2044.
2.
BrycesonD. (2002). The scramble in Africa: Reorienting rural livelihoods. World Development, 30(5), 725–739.
3.
CastlesS. (2010). Understanding global migration: A social transformation perspective. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 36(10), 1565–1586.
4.
ChambersR. (1989). Editorial introduction: Vulnerability, coping and policy. Institute of Development Studies Bulletin, 20(2), 1–7.
5.
ConnellJ.DasguptaB.LaishleyR.LiptonM. (1976). Migration from rural areas: The evidence from village studies. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
6.
DavisB.WintersP.CarlettoG.CovarrubiasK.QuinonesE.ZezzaA.StamoulisK.BonomiG.DiGiuseppeS. (2007). Rural income generating activities: A cross country comparison. ESA Working Paper No. 7–16, Agricultural Development Economics Division, The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
7.
DebU.K.RaoG.N.RaoY.M.SlaterR. (2002). Diversification and livelihood options: A study of two villages in Andhra Pradesh, India. United Kingdom: Department for International Development (DFID).
8.
De HaanA. (1999). Livelihoods and poverty: The role of migration—A critical review of the migration literature. Journal of Development Studies, 36(2), 1–47.
9.
De HaanA. (2002). Migration and livelihoods in historical perspective: A case study of Bihar, India. Journal of Development Studies, 38(5), 115–142.
10.
De HaasH. (2009). Mobility and human development. Human Development Research Paper No. 1, Human Development Report Office, New York.
11.
De HaasH. (2010). Migration and development: A theoretical perspective. IMS Working Paper No. 9, International Migration Institute, University of Oxford.
12.
DesaiS.AmareshD.JoshiB.L.SenM.ShariffA.VannemanR. (2010). Human development in India: Challenges for a society in transition. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
13.
EllisF. (1998). Household strategies and rural livelihood diversification. Journal of Development Studies, 35(1), 1–38.
14.
EllisF. (2003). A livelihood approach to migration and poverty reduction. London: DFID.
15.
HeinemannE.PratoB.ShepherdA. (2011). Rural Poverty Report 2011. Rome: International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
16.
KumarN.BhagatR.B. (2012). Out-migration from Bihar: Causes and consequences. Journal of Social and Economic Studies, 22(2), 134–144.
17.
McDowellC.De HaanA. (1997). Migration and sustainable livelihoods: A critical review of the literature (IDS Working Paper No. 65). Sussex: Institute of development Studies, University of Sussex.
18.
MünzR. (2013). Demography and Migration: An Outlook for the 21st Century. Migration Policy Institute (MPI) Policy Brief, (4).
National Sample Survey (NSS) Office (MoSPI), Government of India. (2014). Key indicators of situation of agricultural households in India, Jan–Dec2013.
21.
NCEUS. (2012). Report on conditions of work and promotion of livelihoods in the unorganised sector (No. id: 5124).
22.
RiggJ. (2006). Land, farming, livelihoods, and poverty: Rethinking the links in the rural south. World Development, 34(1), 180–202.
23.
RodgersG.RodgersJ. (2001). A leap across time: When semi-feudalism met the market in rural Purina. Economic and Political Weekly, 36(22), 2–8June, 1976–1983.
24.
RodgersG.RodgersJ. (2011). Inclusive development? Migration, governance and social change in rural Bihar. Economic and Political Weekly, 46(23), 43–50.
25.
SalveP. (2014August11). How many farmers does India really have?The Hindustan Times. Retrieved 10July2015, from http://www.hindustantimes.com
WintersP.DavisB.CarlettoG.CovarrubiasK.QuiñonesE.J.ZezzaA.AzzarriC.StamoulisK. (2009). Assets, activities and rural income generation: Evidence from a multicountry analysis. World Development, 37(9), 1435–1452.
28.
YangA.A. (1979). Peasants on the move: A study of internal migration in India. Journal of Interdisciplinary History, 10(1), 37–58.
