Demographic and Economic Profile of Tribal Women Engaged in Agriculture in Angul District of Odisha, India
Suchismita Sahoo *
Department of Agricultural Extension Education, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India.
R. K. Doharey
Department of Agricultural Extension Education, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Shardinjay Singh
Department of Agricultural Extension Education, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Sneha Singh
Department of Agricultural Extension Education, Rashtriya Kisan Post Graduate College, Shamli, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Abhinav Singh
Agriculture Extension, KVK Sant Kabir Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Agantika Gupta
Department of Agricultural Extension, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Modipuram, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Sandeep Chauhan
Department of Agricultural Extension Education, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Tribal women make substantial contributions to agricultural and allied activities, yet their participation is often constrained by limited access to land, income, institutional support, and formal extension services. In Odisha, particularly at the district level, systematic information on the demographic, socio-economic, communicational, and psychological characteristics of tribal women engaged in agriculture remains limited. Understanding these characteristics is essential for developing appropriately targeted agricultural and livelihood-support interventions. The study aimed to assess the demographic, socio-economic, communicational and psychological profile of tribal women engaged in agriculture in Angul district of Odisha. Methodology: A survey was conducted among 160 tribal women selected through multistage sampling. Data were collected using a pre-tested structured interview schedule and analysed using frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation. Results: Most respondents were young adults aged 22–33 years (58.75%), married (72.50%) and educated up to intermediate level (42.50%). Cultivation was the major family occupation (41.25%), while 55.00% had marginal landholdings and 63.33% belonged to the low-income category. Medium levels of economic motivation (61.25%), social participation and risk orientation (66.25%) were observed. Extension contact was moderate, with an overall mean per score of 2.03. Conclusion: The findings indicate that tribal women make an important contribution to agriculture but face constraints related to landholding size, income and access to formal extension support. Targeted extension, skill development, digital information services, credit access and stronger institutional linkages may improve their agricultural and livelihood opportunities.
Keywords: Tribal women, demographic profile, socio-economic status, agriculture, rural livelihoods