Participatory rural appraisal

Common-pool resources and private assets do not have the same effect on agricultural livelihoods. A lack of access to human, financial and social capitals at the household level increases the levels of precarious agricultural employment, such as daily-wage agricultural labour. Households located in communities with greater access to collective natural capital are less likely to be agricultural labourers. Proximity to rural centres and access to financial infrastructures increase the likelihood of being a landless agricultural labourer.

• We advocate for the separation of community capitals from household livelihood capitals to characterise rural livelihoods • We observed spatial variability in access to common-pool resources and private assets affecting livelihoods in rural India • Workforce availability and access to community natural resources increase with remoteness • Access to community natural capital is negatively associated with access to community infrastructures • Households make trade-offs between natural and financial assets to meet their needs and mediate vulnerabilities.