Nurturing Human Resource Talent for Sustainable Livelihood through Youth Skill Development in Agriculture

Context: Sustainability is the primary concern for livelihood development of rural youth in agriculture which requires nurturing of human resource talent among the rural youth through their skill development in agriculture. Objective: The present paper aims to explore the connotation and relationship among human resource capital and skill development of the rural youth in agriculture towards sustainable livelihood development. Methods: The study was conducted in two blocks of Cooch Behar district and two blocks of Malda district. From each block two villages were selected randomly. An exhaustive list was prepared in eight villages. From each village 25 numbers of respondents were selected randomly to constitute 200 number of sample respondent for the study. The data were collected with the help of structured interview schedule prepared for the study through personal interview method. The data were processed with the help of the statistical tools namely frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, coefficient of correlation, and multiple regression. Results: It is concluded that the one independent variable namely skill acquired is positively and significantly associated with human capital generation through skill development whereas the two independent variables namely mass media exposure and training exposure are negatively and significantly associated with dependent variable, human capital generation through youth skill development in agriculture. Significance: This study underscores the transformative role of agricultural skill development in empowering youth, fostering self-reliance, and enhancing rural livelihoods. It bridges the gap between traditional farming and modern employment opportunities, promoting sustainability and inclusive growth