Asian Journal of Current Research

Buffalo farming constitutes an important component of rural livelihoods in Agro-climatic Zone-1B (Hanumangarh and Sri Ganganagar districts) of Rajasthan. Despite its importance, the sector faces multiple challenges related to breeding, feeding, health care, management, economics, and marketing, which collectively undermine animal productivity and household livelihood security. Although buffalo farming is widely recognised as a livelihood option in arid regions of India, systematic studies linking farmer-perceived constraints with multidimensional livelihood security outcomes remain scarce in Agro-climatic Zone-1B of Rajasthan; this constitutes the research gap addressed by the present study. The study was conducted in these two districts to identify and rank the major constraints perceived by buffalo farmers and to examine their influence on seven dimensions of livelihood security. Using multistage random sampling, data were collected from 120 buffalo farmers (60 from each district) through a pre-tested structured interview schedule. Constraints were measured on a validated three-point continuum scale (most serious, serious, and least serious) and ranked by the percentage of respondents reporting each as 'most serious'. Livelihood security was assessed using a composite index across seven dimensions, and herd-size-wise comparisons were made using frequency and percentage analysis. The results revealed that, overall, non-remunerative price for milk (73.33%), lack of knowledge of record keeping (72.50%), lack of loan and insurance facilities (71.67%), and lack of knowledge about vaccination against contagious diseases (79.17%) were the most severe constraints. Economic and marketing constraints were the most prominent overall, followed by knowledge gaps in scientific management and health care. The study empirically documents and ranks domain-wise constraints among buffalo farmers in Zone-1B and describes their association with seven livelihood security dimensions across herd-size categories in this agro-climatic context. Livelihood security analysis indicated that large herd owners had higher levels of food and nutritional, economic, health, educational, social, institutional, and infrastructure security, whereas small and medium herd owners largely remained in the low-to-medium category. These findings indicate the need for targeted extension education, remunerative milk pricing policies, simplified access to credit and insurance, and capacity-building on scientific buffalo management to improve productivity and support sustainable rural livelihoods in the region.