Structure and Determinants of Labour Absorption in Agriculture

Abstract

newline The present entitled Structure and Determinants of Labour Absorption in Agriculture was conducted to examine the labour absorption in crop production for principal crops; to examine the structure of labour utilization in agriculture; to examine the labour surplus in agriculture and to examine the factors determining labour absorption in agriculture.Two districts from each of the five agro-climatic region were selected. Therefore, total 10 districts were selected from five agro-climatic regions. One tehsil from each district and one village from each tehsil were selected for the present study.Therefore, 10 tehsils and 10 villages were selected for the study.Twenty farmers from each village were selected randomly according to five standard size classes i.e. marginal (lt1 ha), small (1-2 ha), semi-medium (2-4 ha), medium (4-6 ha) and large (gt6 ha). Therefore, for the present study, 200 farmers were selected from the chosen 10 districts of five agro-climatic regions.The principal crops those covering more than 75 per cent of the gross cropped area (GCA) in each district were selected purposively to estimate the labour absorption in crop production.The study was based on both primary and secondary data (1981 to 2011 census) and primary data for the year 2018-2019 was used for the present study. newlineThe annual average human labour absorption in the state (Rajasthan) was 45.03 man-days per hectare out of which family labour absorption was 28.40 man-days per hectare and hired labour absorption was 16.63 man-days per hectare. The per hectare total human labour absorption was the highest in Sub Humid and Humid Southern region (IV-region, 60.61 man-days) and the lowest in Humid Southern Eastern Plain region (V-region, 38.75 man-days) in Rajasthan. The annual per hectare total family labour absorption was also maximum in Sub Humid and Humid Southern region (IV-region, 45.83 man-days) and minimum in Humid Southern Eastern Plain region (V-region, 18.92 man-days)while hired labour absorption was maximum in Humid Sout