Evaluating sustainable agricultural livelihood security in West Bengal, India: a principal component analysis approach

Shibu Das (), Kaushal Kumar Sharma (), Suranjan Majumder () and Indrajit Roy Chowdhury ()
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Shibu Das: Jawaharlal Nehru University
Kaushal Kumar Sharma: Jawaharlal Nehru University
Suranjan Majumder: University of North Bengal
Indrajit Roy Chowdhury: University of North Bengal

Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, 2025, vol. 27, issue 2, No 82, 4769-4816

Abstract: Abstract This study undertook an examination of livelihood security in West Bengal, a predominantly agriculture-based region situated in eastern India. Our investigation centred around the Sustainable Agriculture Livelihood Security Index (SALSI), which integrates four fundamental dimensions: ecological security index (ESI), economic efficiency index (EEI), infrastructure sufficiency index (ISI) and social equity index (SEI), and represented a total of 36 diverse indicators associated with these SALSI. We employed the “non-dimensionalization” approach to quantify the aforementioned dimensions. Principal component analysis was then employed to discern the pivotal indicators associated with each component of the SALSI. The study unveiled notable inter-district spatial variations in the four facets of the SALSI. Notably, Paschim Medinipur achieved the highest SALSI score at 0.60, while Jalpaiguri recorded the lowest at 0.35. Among the sub-components, ESI emerged as the strongest with a score of 0.57, surpassing EEI (0.52), ISI (0.36) and SEI (0.46). Remarkably, Purulia, Jalpaiguri and Uttar Dinajpur districts exhibited a notably limited level of sustainability in their agriculture-based livelihoods. In contrast, North 24 Parganas, Birbhum, Uttar Dinajpur, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur and Bardhaman demonstrated a high degree of sustainability in their agricultural livelihoods. These findings offer valuable insights to inform policymakers and relevant stakeholders, facilitating the transformation of districts with low sustainability levels into regions with moderate and high agricultural sustainability through the formulation and implementation of appropriate policies. The methodology presented in this study can be effectively applied across varying scales in other regions within India and in similar contexts in other developing nations. Graphical abstract

Keywords: Agrarian community; Farming; Livelihood security; Sustainable rural livelihoods; Social equity; West Bengal (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s10668-023-04097-w

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