Pattanam adu sheep farming in the breeding tract: The socio-economic dimensions

Abstract

A study on the socio-economic status of Pattanam adu sheep farmers was conducted in the breeding tract of Tamil Nadu, India. Two district Ramanathapuram (3 blocks -Mudukulathur, Kamuthi and Paramakudi) and Virudhunagar (2 blocks - Aruppukottai and Thiruchuli) and 6 villages from each block and 2 flocks from each village were selected randomly. A total number of 60 flocks were included in this study. The data were collected by personal interview method with the help of pretested interview schedule. The flock size of Pattanam adu sheep in the study area is 77.33±1.15, 133.67±3.99 and 243.00±20.21 in small, medium and large flocks, respectively. The study revealed that the majority of the sheep farmers were Hindus (96.66%), from backward community (83.33%), having nuclear type family (51.66%) and illiterate (33.33%). The majority of the sheep farmers (85.00%) were absolute owners of the flock, vast majority of the sheep farmers (73.33%) had above 20 years of experience. Small flock owning families dependent ratio was higher (0.62±0.18) followed by medium (0.54±0.11) and large (0.33±0.04) families. The large flock owners owned large land holding (7.09 acres) followed by small (3.89 acres) and medium (3.79 acres). The annual income was higher in large flocks followed by medium and small flocks owners in the study area. The study on socio-economic status of Pattanam adu sheep farmers revealed that the sheep farming is a way of livelihood for the rural communities with different socio-economic background and inclusion of sheep farming in welfare scheme would improve the livelihood in rural areas.