Exploring Livelihood Structures of Paddy Farmers in Koraput District of Odisha

Abstract

Despite the economic centrality of paddy cultivation in tribal districts of Odisha, empirical understanding of the latent socio-economic structures shaping farmers' livelihoods remains limited, with most studies relying on descriptive profiling rather than multivariate dimensional analysis. The study addresses that gap by applying Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to primary data collected in 2025 from 120 paddy farmers across four blocks of Koraput district, Odisha. Thirteen continuous socio-economic variables and five categorical attributes were transformed through one-hot encoding and standardized prior to analysis. The first principal component (35.9% variance) revealed an experience–education gradient distinguishing older, highly experienced but less formally educated farmers from younger, more educated counterparts. The second component (17.0% variance) represented a wealth–resource axis defined by income, livestock holdings, and land size. These components explained 52.9% of total variance, while subsequent components captured behavioural heterogeneity in risk orientation, innovativeness, and social participation. The findings demonstrate that livelihood differentiation in tribal paddy systems is structured along distinct socio-economic and behavioural axes rather than being uniform. By empirically identifying these gradients, the study provides a robust analytical foundation for designing stratified extension, credit, and capacity-building interventions tailored to differentiated farmer typologies in vulnerable agrarian regions.