Capturing the voices of the small and marginal women farmers in the tribal-dominated Dungarpur district of India's Rajasthan state, this survey demonstrates that the populace in certain remote and underdeveloped areas is prepared to embrace a self-help-based approach in place of policies that often amount to little more than charity and foster dependency. The book acknowledges the validity of the goal of universal social security and a safety net, but argues for reviving a genuine initiative in the area of decentralization and laying the foundation for a local livelihood security framework. The evidence gleaned from the modest study in Dungarpur is of significant consequence in the context of the current debate on strategies for poverty alleviation, social security, and growth in the face of a fast deteriorating international economic environment, unabated domestic inflation, rising fiscal deficit, and a sharp dip in India's overall growth rates.