A Study on the Socioeconomics of Imperata Grassland Managers at Dargakona Village, Barak Valley, Assam, Northeast India

Abstract

Socioeconomic profile of farmers has great implications in present days for providing insight into demography, education, income and management of bio-resources. The small scale farmers of rural regions have indeed conserved the indigenous and traditional facts since past generations that eventually redefined as traditional ecological knowledge. Hence, keeping in view, the socioeconomic structure of the villages in Barak Valley region, the grassland managers of agricultural communities could be recognized as a great storehouse of traditional knowledge that play a vital role towards various land recuperation processes. The study was carried out at Dargakona village, Barak Valley, Assam, northeast India with an objective to identify factors that regulate the socioeconomic characteristics of rice farmers and measures to be adopted for improvement of their status. Data were collected from 48 households that were randomly sampled through questionnaire survey and structured interview schedule. The dominant inhabitants of the village were Deshawali (56.30%), Bardhamani (36.70%) and Koibarta (7%) in order of their proportionate share of the population. The average family size indicated almost identical size among the population below 14 years as well as above 30 years of age. Education status expressed low rate of literacy with 41% had no experience of school learning. Roofing pattern of houses indicated maximum use of thatch grass as raw material. The age of the grasslands varied from 10 years to more than 40 years. The rice farmers classified four soil types i.e. ‘lal’, ‘balu’, ‘athail’ and ‘citta’. Majority (50%) of the respondents were found with marginal land holdings of one bigha or less. About 23% of the farm natives briefed that the yield of their grasslands amounts to 1000 gollas (a local unit for cash transaction) of dried leaves per annum. Although much of the farmers are in favor of grassland management but still there are people who wants replacement with plantation of economically important species. The Imperata grasslands are generally managed for both subsistence and income generation. The study concluded that there is an urgent need of Government, NGO and other stakeholders to intervene and study the issues and challenges of the small scale farmers. Thereafter, proper policies may be formulated in restoration of the degraded grasslands and improving the socioeconomic status of the village communities residing in Barak Valley, Assam, northeast India.