Tribal Agriculture in the Eastern Indian State of Jharkhand: Can It Be Sustainable?

Jharkhand was declared as a separate state, carving out of southern Bihar after a long-drawn tribal movement. Jharkhand has a high density of Scheduled Tribe population that accounts for 40% of the mineral resources of India. In Jharkhand, other than agriculture, mining is an important occupation. Agriculture has seen an impressive growth in recent years, and at 4%, the growth has been higher than the all-India average of 2.2%. There is also a strong industrial base in Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, and Bokaro. In spite of availability of resources, Jharkhand’s economy is struggling. The study is conceptualized using an inclusive growth perspective. The present study is centred on the transitional characteristic of agriculture in tribal areas from its traditional subsistence form to modern settled agriculture. Main objectives of the study are; (i) To analyse the state of agriculture in the tribal areas of Jharkhand State. (ii) To examine the factors influencing the transition of subsistence-based agriculture to modern settled agriculture. (iii) To examine the economic viability of agriculture in tribal areas. The present study has used both primary and secondary data. Two districts, namely, Gumla and West Singhbhum, have been selected from Fully Scheduled Area (FSA), and one district, namely, Dumka, has been selected from Partially Scheduled Area (PSA) in Jharkhand state for the current study. In total, 405 households have been picked up from three study districts for an intensive study. In terms of key findings of the study: Cultivation or crop production is the prominent source of income for both tribal and non-tribal households in Jharkhand. Wage income is the second major source of income for both tribal and non-tribal households. However, the tribal households depend more on wages (having 21.6% of total income) as compared to the non-tribal households who are deriving 14.1% of income from different types of wages. NTFP has marked its important role in the livelihood support of tribal and forest dwellers in terms of subsistence and income generation. The benefits of FRA (Forest Right Act-2006) in these study districts are very unpleasant. In terms of conclusions of the study: The performance of agriculture in the Indian state of Jharkhand remains lower as comparison to other major states of the country. The average proportions of irrigated lands under principal crops in the state are much below than the average proportions of irrigated lands under principal crops in the country. Moreover, the average productivity of tribal households in the case of wheat, gram, arhar, and rapeseed and mustard is lower than those of non-tribal households. Certainly, along with industrial development, Jharkhand needs to revive back its agriculture to have sustainable growth. On the whole, tribal households have gained much less than the loss they have incurred in this development process.