Livelihoods

Resilience is also a function of reducing livelihood shocks. Decreasing of livelihood based vulnerability can be achieved through ensuring stable incomes or by spreading the risk through multiple sources of income generation.
Agriculture and fisheries are major livelihoods in Nagapattinam with agriculture dominating. Since a majority of the population in Nagapattinam is, either directly or indirectly, dependant on agriculture, BEDROC chose to strengthen this traditional livelihood.

With most of the members of the Water User Associations being traditional farmers, this platform was chosen as the most logical to act as a catalyst for change management within the farming communities at village level. These WUAs were supported through on-farm and off-farm activities including revolving funds, common asset creation and paddy seed production.

Apart from this, the farmers were brought under the banner of a Producer Company, Nagai Agriculture Producer Company (NAPROC) for ensuring better returns through better economies of scale in marketing.

With a view to spreading of risk and increasing the sources of income generation, an allied activity of dairying was also introduced as Nagapattinam is a very cattle-friendly district. Dairying has been developed on the lines of AMUL with adaptations suitable to the area and the changed environment. Instead of the traditional cooperative society model, milk collectives have been set up and federated under the Producer Company Act. This Company is called Nagai Milk Producer Company (NAMPCO).