Agricultural Labour

Presented by: Manidipa

Introduction about Agricultural Labour

In general Agriculture means: The science and art of cultivation on the soil,

raising crops and rearing livestock. It is also called farming.

According to the National Commission on Labour:

"an agricultural laborer is one who is basically unskilled and unorganized and has little for its livelihood, other than personal labour." The First Agricultural Labour Enquiry Committee

1950-55 defined Agricultural Labourer as - “Those people who are engaged in raising crops on payment of wages”

Overview Around 58% population of India depends on

agriculture. Census 2011 says there are 118.9 million cultivators

across the country or 24.6% of the total workforce of over 481 million. 

The no. of cultivators has declined from nearly 50% in 1951 to 24% in 2011, which means the number of farmers has come down by half and that of total cultivators in rural areas have declined from 40% in 2001 to 33% in 2011.

There are 95.8 million cultivators for whom farming is their main occupation, which is less than 8% of the population.

Out of the total farmers male farmers is nearly 53% and that of female is 46%.

History of Agricultural Labourers Over 50 years since independence, India

has made immense progress towards food security.

Prior to the mid-1960s India relied on imports and food aid to meet domestic requirements.

The Indian state of Punjab led India’s green revolution and earned itself the distinction of being the country’s bread basket.

Classification of Agricultural Labour

AgricultureLaborers

Landless Laborer

Attached to landlords

Independent but work for

othersPetty Farmers

Farmers (independent

)

Characteristics of Agricultural Labourers

Agricultural Laborers are Scattered Agricultural Laborers are Unskilled

and Lack Training Unorganized Sector Low Social Status Demand and Supply of Labour Less Bargaining Power At the Bidding of the Landlord

Laws governing Agricultural Labour in India Minimum Wages Act 1948 Plantation Labor Act 1951 A comprehensive Legislation underway Agricultural Worker Welfare fund Multi dimensional Course of Action

i. Improvement of Infrastructural facilities

ii. Diversification to non farm activities

iii. Financial Assistance to promote self employment

iv. Optimizing use of Land Resources through a variety of rural development, poverty alleviation and employment generation programmes

Measures taken by the Government to improve the Conditions of Agricultural Labourers Passing of Minimum Wage Act. Abolition of Bonded Labourers Providing land to landless labourers Provision of Housing cities to houseless

Modern Agricultural in India Today, India ranks second worldwide in farm output. More than 90% of farmers today work using the

most innovative practices and growing techniques to produce enough food, fuel and fiber for a growing world, while minimizing their environmental footprint at the same time.

Development of agriculture includes: Use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and

insecticides. Expansion of irrigational facilities. Involvement of modern scientific techniques.

Benefits from using biofertilizers in India Stimulate plant growth. Increase crop yield by 20-30%. Activate the soil biologically. Restore natural soil fertility. Provide protection against drought and some other

soil borne diseases.

Special schemes for agricultural labour

Janshree Bima Yojana Sampooran Gramin Rozgar Yojana Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS) Swaranjayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana Rural Housing and Water Supply Programme Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojana Desert Development Programme

Welfare Measures for Agricultural Labour The old age pension scheme, to those who have

attained the age of 60 and having no sons, needs to be extended to cover all agricultural workers of age 60, irrespective of presence of sons/daughters.

Minimum wages, through a single window, for agricultural labourers.

A crop insurance scheme on the pattern of ‘livestock insurance’ and ‘life insurance’ needs to be introduced.

Drought Prone areas, Desert areas development programmes etc.

Foreign Agricultural labour "We grow it, we reap it, we can’t afford to eat it”

– those were the words of the pay campaign of the British agricultural workers’ union in the 1980s. Thirty years later it is still as pertinent as it was then, and rings as true across the globe as it does in the UK. Agricultural workers remain at the bottom of the pay league, with wages well below the poverty line.

In a 2008 report, the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimated that more than one billion people were employed in agriculture – often in very precarious conditions.

As the census of agriculture in 2012, there were 2.2 million farms, covering an area of 922 million acres in USA.

Problems faced by Agricultural Labour in India

Excess Supply – there are no accurate estimates of work forces as most of the activity and persons involved is unorganized and unreported. However the number of persons to work on and feed off a holding is very high.

Seasonal Employment – varying weather patterns – drought, floods, heat cold cause an unreliable productivity.

Backward classes SC ST – farmers usually come from a less privileged class and hence are mostly un-educated and do not have benefits of respect of the society.

Small farm land holdings – which result in a lack of economies of scale.

Limited subsidiary occupation – alternate revenue streams from other activities are not available to farmers.

Heterogeneous – issues and problems have regional variations.

Migration to other occupations – the more educated and efficient work forces are migrating to other forms of employment, leaving weaker work forces in the agricultural profession.

Indebtedness – money is borrowed from exploitative private money lenders. Borrowings spiral and the ability to pay back is limited. There is a need for agro finance, micro-finance, cooperative banking and financial products to suit farmers needs and longer term payback schedules.

Solution for the Improvement of Agricultural Labour :

Cooperatives / Self Help Groups (SHG) – for better technology, training, funding, marketing and economies of scale.

Irrigation development – water problems are immense and better water management by superior irrigation, drip irrigation and so on will help. It should be developed so that water can reach every part of the field.

Cont…

Marketing & distribution – middlemen eat away a farmer’s profits. Cooperative and rural markets would help to bring the farmer closer to the end consumer thus eliminating agent commissions, which are very large.

Agricultural insurance – in event of natural problems, floods, drought, firs, pest problems etc. insurance would help the farmers survive.