International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology Vol. 29, No. 12s, (2020), pp. 2944-2954 ISSN: 2005-4238 IJAST Copyright ⓒ 2020 SERSC 2944 Livestock Farming For Sustainable Livelihoods Of Agrarian Tribes In South India: A Study In Kolli Hills Of Tamil Nadu Dr. N. Kumar Assistant Professor School of Management Studies, Sathyabama Institute of Science and, Technology, Chennai, India Dr. Ilankadhir. M Assistant Professor School of Management Studies, Sathyabama Institute of Science and, Technology, Chennai, India Abstract Due to poor productivity of the crop sector, decreasing availability of per capita arable land and lack of other income generating avenues, there is heavy dependence of tribal households on animal husbandry activities. It is expected that the livestock rearing offers substantial income to tribal people particularly during non-agricultural seasons, which can create an impact within the shortest period on the tribal economy. The livestock keeping generates a continuous stream of income and employment, which is an inevitable component of tribal development. The crop enterprise alone cannot help the tribal farmers for sustained survival and to increase their income and employment. A considerable scope exists to improve the economic status of the tribal through livestock enterprise, which provides a sufficient year round employment and income opportunities. At the same time cropping sectors will get inputs like pesticides, capital, power, etc. from the livestock sector. In this background, the study is conducted among tribal households of Kolli hills. Main objectives of the study are to understand the nature of crop husbandry and animal husbandry of the tribal households; to examine the income and employment generation of livestock farming in tribal areas; and assess the linkage effects of animal husbandry and crop husbandry towards sustainable tribal development. Kolli hills is located in Namakkal district of Tamilnadu. The necessary data for the study were collected from 170 tribal households. Data collected are analysed with the help of suitable statistical tools. Expected results would help in policy formulation for speeding the tribal development. Key Words: Tribal, Livestock, Agriculture, Employment, Livelihood, Sustainability 1. INTRODUCTION Livestock, an integral component of agriculture, makes multifaceted contributions to the growth and development of agricultural sector in India. They help to improve food security by providing nutrient- rich food products, generating income and employment in rural areas, and acting as a cushion against crop failure. They also provide draught power and manure inputs to the cropping sub-sector, and contribute to foreign exchange through exports of dairy products and meat. India is one of the largest countries in livestock population in the world and it is accounting for 57 per cent of world’s buffalo and 16 per cent of world’s cattle and rank first in respect of cattle and buffalo, third in sheep and second in goat population in the world. Livestock population in India has a positive growth trend over the years and as per 2012 Livestock Census in India, cattle is accounted 190.9 million, buffalo is 108.7 million, sheep is 65.07 million, goat is 135.17 million and pig is 10.29 million (FAOSTAT 2012; Indian livestock Census 2012). The Problem Due to poor productivity of the crop sector, decreasing availability of per capita arable land and lack of other income generating avenues, there is heavy dependence of tribal households on animal husbandry activities. It is expected that the livestock rearing offers substantial income to tribal people