Vol: 7, Issue: 3 2017

Page: 52-60

Role of Common Property Resources (CPRS) in Controlling Tobacco Cultivation

Arunkumar R Kulkarni

This paper brings out the different dimensions of the potential that CPRs contain to benefit the rural poor. Studies have shown that CPRs directly provide means of livelihood to rural people and directly and indirectly contribute to agricultural growth and economic development, and also the quality of the environment. Besides the above-mentioned benefits, there are several unexplored possibilities in connection with CPRs. One such possibility relates to the role of CPRs in influencing farmers' choice of their farming system. Though it may sound unorthodox, yet it has been observed from a number of case studies that the choice of cropping pattern, the extent of investment in farming and the adoption of livelihood activities allied to farming are very much influenced by the access to CPRs that are functional (Panchamukhi, 2000; Jodha, 1990; Nadakarni, 1990). The present paper is based on the researcher's observation of practices of tobacco cultivation in about 50 tobacco cultivating villages in the Belgaum district of Karnataka State and the determining influence of CPWRs on such practices. The observations are based on the experiences obtained by the author while working in one of the research projects entitled "Economics of shifting from tobacco cultivation", conducted by the Centre for Multi-Disciplinary Development Research (CMDR), Dharwad.