LIVELIHOOD DIVERSIFICATION AS A STRATEGY OF LIVELIHOOD AMONG FARM HOUSEHOLDS: A STUDY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO BORDER VILLAGES OF UDALGURI DISTRICT

The term ‘Livelihood' refers to a means of living i.e. the financial means whereby one lives. In other words a person's livelihood refers to a means of securing the necessities of life. Livelihood Diversification on the other hand recognizes that people survive by doing many different things rather than just one thing or few things. The present study tries to unravel the patterns of livelihood diversification. The study was conducted in selected villages near Indo – Bhutan Border of Udalguri district. It revealed that multiple livelihood options were adopted by the farming community, which included farm diversification along with non-farm employment and migration of the family members.