Attaining Livelihood Security through Horticulture Development in Karnataka, India

The present study aimed to assess the overall impact of horticulture development on farmers' livelihood security in Karnataka. Livelihood security was analysed in terms of expenditure on food, education, and health across different farming systems. Primary data were collected from 180 growers from two taluks of the Vijayapur district, India. Looking into the farming system, the analysis revealed a higher income from horticulture crops should culminate in the secured livelihood of farm households. In the case of the study area, no discernible pattern was noticed in expenditure on food items across different farm families in three types of farming systems. The expenditure on food intake was Rs. 9154, Rs. 9931, and Rs. 9728, respectively, in high-investment farming systems, medium-investment farming systems, and low-investment farming systems, respectively. In respect of other components of livelihood security, namely education and health, it was observed that low-investment farming systems and high-investment farming systems spent more on education. In respect of expenditure on health, farms in low-investment farming systems had spent more on this as compared to the other two categories. Thus, it is clear that higher income from horticulture enterprises enabled farmers to spend more on livelihood components.