Koraput district is the southernmost district of Odisha and is famous for its rich biodiversity. Tribal communities account for 51 per cent of the district’s population and agriculture is the primary occupation of people in the district. More than 70 per cent of the farmers are small and marginal landholders with an average landholding of 1.63 hectare and operational holding of 0.6 hectare (GoO, 2011). The district has high level of poverty at 83 per cent as compared to the state average of 47 per cent. It is also a district with high burden of malnutrition with 49 per cent children under five years of age underweight and 57 per cent
stunted (GoO, 2015).