Women Entrepreneurial Development through Duck Farming in India

Duck farming is becoming an important alternative livelihood option in West Bengal, helping to improve food and nutrition security, income generation, and the empowerment of rural women. West Bengal holds the highest duck population in India, making a strong contribution to egg and meat production. This study explored the sustainable livelihood and entrepreneurship performance of women duck farmers in Purba Burdwan district of West Bengal, India. A total of 120 women farmers were randomly selected, and data were collected using interviews and field observations. The Entrepreneurship Development Index with 19 independent variables and statistical tools like percentage analysis, correlation, Chi-square, ANOVA, Mann-Whitney U, and Kruskal-Wallis tests (SPSS-20.0) were used for analysis. Findings revealed that most farmers were middle-aged, illiterate, from nuclear families, and engaged in independent or labor-based jobs. Katwa-1 block showed better entrepreneurial attitude, adoption of duck farming, and higher mass media use, while Katwa-2 relied more on local contacts.