This document discusses agricultural labor in India. It notes that around 58% of India's population depends on agriculture and defines an agricultural laborer as someone engaged in raising crops for payment of wages. Agricultural laborers tend to be landless, unskilled, and have little bargaining power. The government has implemented various laws and welfare programs to improve conditions for agricultural laborers. However, they still face issues like excess supply, seasonal employment, small land holdings, and indebtedness. Cooperative programs, irrigation development, improved marketing and distribution, and agricultural insurance are suggested to help address problems faced by agricultural laborers.

1. Agricultural Labour

2. Introduction
 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. Classification of Agricultural Labourers
Agricultural
Labour
Landless
Labour
Attached to
landlords
Independent
but work for
others
Petty Farmers
Farmers
(independent)

6. Characterstics
 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

7. Laws Governing Agricultural Labours
 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.

8. 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

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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

12. 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.

13. Problems faced by Agricultural Labour
 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.

14.  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.

15. 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.
 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.