Published Paper Details:

Abstract: To resolve the structural problems underlying the tribal economy the Andhra Pradesh Government evolved Tribal Development Project (APTDP) with the assistance of International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD). In terms of natural resource management, the most significant activity of the project has been the attempt to use settled irrigated agricultural systems to replace the traditional methods of shifting (Podu) cultivation. The aim is to improve household food security through the cultivation of high-yielding paddy rice and horticultural crops, as well as to protect the environment against deforestation and soil erosion. In this study an attempt is made to analyze the prevailing agricultural practices of the selected Tribal farm households in the light of the agricultural development progammes implementing by the ITDAs in the selected mandals relating to land development. The important economic indicators identified on the front of analyzing the prevailing agricultural practices of Tribal farm households are: (1) cropping pattern, (2) fallow land, (3) intensity of cropping, (4) shifting cultivation. The influence of the land development programmes are examined making a comparison of the above aspects of sample households of selected Tribal farm households.