2. 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”
3. 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%.
4. 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.
5.
6. Classification of Agricultural Labour
Agriculture
Laborers
Landless
Laborer
Attached to
landlords
Independent
but work for
others
Petty Farmers
Farmers
(independent)
7. 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
8. 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
9. 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
10. 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.
11.
12. 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.
13. 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
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. 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.
19. 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.
