Livelihood Diversification Among Kuki Tribal Households in Dima Hasao District of Assam: An Analysis Using Herfindahl- Hirschman Index

Abstract

Livelihood diversification is an important strategy for survival and risk minimization in fragile hill economies. The present study examines the extent of income diversification among Kuki tribal households in Dima Hasao district of Assam. Primary data was collected from 116 households from randomly selected six Kuki dominated villages through structured interview schedule. The Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) and Diversification Index (DI=1-HHI) were used to measure diversification based on percentage share of main and other sources of income. The results reveal an average main income share of 84.74%, average HHI of 0.7633 and average DI of 0.2367 indicating low to moderate diversification. Occupation-wise analysis shows that SHG-based households are most diversified (DI=0.427) followed by business (DI=0.323) and cultivator households (DI=0.303). Street vendors, livestock rearers and private teachers show very low diversification. The study suggests strengthening non-farm and SHG based secondary income for jhum dependent Kuki cultivators.