Q.What is meant by rural diversification? State any two allied activities that support it.

Rural households usually cannot depend on one crop or one season alone, which is exactly what diversification addresses. …

Meaning: Rural diversification refers to widening a rural household's or region's economic activity beyond crop farming alone into allied activities and non-farm enterprise, so that income is not entirely dependent on a single crop or a single harvest season.

Why it matters: Crop farming is seasonal and exposed to weather and price risk; allied activities can be carried on through the year, make use of otherwise idle family labour, and cushion the household if a crop fails or its price falls.

Any two allied activities (of several possible):

1. Animal husbandry and dairying — raising livestock for milk, meat and draught power; India's co-operative dairy movement is a well-known example of allied activity organised at scale. …

Rural diversification is sometimes confused with simply growing a wider variety of crops — the term specifically covers allied and non-farm activities along …