Tribal districts like Kandhamal and Gajapati are one of the most food insecure districts in Odisha. Rainfed agriculture, small scale livestock rearing, collection and sale of forest produce and wage labour are some of the key sources of livelihoods. Khariff agriculture is predominantly for subsistence. Lack of irrigation facilities limits households’ ability to grow crops and earn income in Rabi season. Due to remote location of villages, the outreach of government farm extension services is limited. This has resulted in poor access of communities to cost effective and yield enhancing technologies. Finally communities have very limited access to formal financial services like loans and insurance. This inhibits household’s ability to invest in livelihood strengthening interventions and increase income. The outcomes of poor livelihoods include food insecurity, indebtedness, distress sale of farm produce and assets and increased vulnerability to shocks like agricultural droughts.