Title: UNVEILING AND PRIORITIZING DAIRY CONSTRAINTS FACED BY SCHEDULED CASTE HOUSEHOLDS

Authors: Mansi Raj, Gopal Sankhala and Shreyasi Samaddar

Publisher: The President, Society of Extension Education Gujarat

Keywords: arid, constraints, dairy, livelihood, productivity

Volume: 40

Issue: 1

Year: December 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56572/gjoee.2025.40.1.0026

Abstract: India, the world's most populous country, relies heavily on agriculture and allied sectors for sustaining rural livelihoods, with the dairy sector serving as a cultural and economic backbone. Rajasthan, an arid state with a significant Scheduled Caste (SC) population, depends extensively on animal husbandry due to its limited agricultural potential. However, SC dairy farmers face multiple production and market-related challenges that restrict livelihood enhancement. The present study aimed to identify and prioritize constraints faced by SC households engaged in dairy farming in Rajasthan's arid districts of Bikaner and Hanumangarh. Employing an ex-post facto research design, data were collected from 240 respondents selected from six villages. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to determine the relative importance of constraints through pairwise comparisons and to assess consistency ratios. Results revealed breeding constraints as the most critical (priority weight = 0.49), primarily due to poor heat detection knowledge and inadequate artificial insemination services. Feeding constraints ranked second (0.23), dominated by high feed costs and green fodder scarcity, while healthcare constraints (0.16) stemmed from limited veterinary availability and costly private services. Marketing constraints (0.12) were relatively less severe, with non-remunerative milk prices and lack of organized cooperatives emerging as key issues. The study concludes that targeted interventions such as improved reproductive management, feed resource development, affordable veterinary care, and strengthened market linkages are essential to enhance dairy productivity and ensure sustainable livelihoods for marginalized SC communities in Rajasthan's arid ecosystem.