Sericulture: An Alternative Source of Income to Enhance the Livelihoods of Small-scale Farmers and Tribal Communities
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This paper provides a summary review of the development and implementation of BAIF’s sericulture programme in the Indian state of Maharashtra. BAIF Development Research Foundation (BAIF), a national NGO based in Pune, Maharashtra, has been active in developing and promoting better livelihood options for the rural poor in the country. BAIF adopted a multi-pronged strategic approach by introducing a technology-based integrated farming model, empowering and capacitating communities to take the lead in implementation and marketing of the produce, but providing strong backup support with an effective monitoring system. This paper provides an overview of the technological innovations that resulted from BAIF’s on-station and on-farm experimentation, the economics of sericulture along the entire value chain from cocoon to raw silk to silk fabric, and the environmental impact of two forms of sericulture – smallholder farmers using planted mulberry trees and tribal communities, relying on Arjuna / Asan trees in natural forests to feed the silkworms.