Amit Roy

In India plethora of grassroots experiences abound which dovetail livelihood and micro credit related activities around Self Help Group (SHG) paradigm. The SHG is the organisational means for channelling credit and imparting training for micro enterprise for women living in disadvantaged livelihood environment. The costal district in West Bengal, India is constrained in many of the livelihood opportunities. The first study deals with the parameters in SHG functioning and how SHG community was accommodated in Micro Finance and livelihood development. The other study deals with the livelihood impact of a well established Micro Finance Programs in otherwise well endowed farm sector. Here the women community in developed farm sector is found to have used the micro finance support to its livelihood advantage. This book will help the grassroots livelihood practitioners in devising micro finance based livelihood programs.

Indian Agriculture has more than 50% of its cultivable area under Disadvantaged Agriculture. Farming Community of Disadvantaged Agriculture needs reality driven livelihood interventions to enhance their income. Livelihood interventions need to be premised on effective Resource Appraisal. Resource Appraisal through using participatory tools to identify livelihood options for the farming community is prerequisite for implementation of effective livelihood based interventions. The combination of qualitative and quantitative parameters has the potentials to grasp the reality demand of Farm Livelihood sector. The present book deals with the Resource Appraisal which dovetails secondary and primary information with ease without compromising the grassroots realities. The Indian agriculture is desperately looking for grassroots based livelihood interventions developed on genuine base line survey. The present book will help the grassroots practitioners in internalizing basic tenets of Resource Appraisal in Farm Livelihood Sector.