Since ancient times, dairy farming has been a significant source of income for women and other traditionally underprivileged groups in rural areas. For many of them, it is their only source of income, providing them with cash twice a day, every day of the year. For those who previously could only rely on earnings from modest seasonal crops or from sporadic labor, it has given them a year-round source of income. It is believed that up to 60–65 percent of this group's income currently comes from dairying, which includes marginal and small-scale farmers. Research has indicated that when it comes to profit margin in marginal, small, and medium-sized holdings, dairying in rural areas outperformed crop production. It has been discovered that dairying and crop production together were more profitable for small-scale farmers with irrigated land than crop farming alone. Over time, dairying has also taken on the characteristics of a fully-fledged industry in the nation, improving the lives of those involved in the industry, either directly or indirectly, and serving as a vital source of income support for a sizable portion of the impoverished.