An economic analysis of multidimensional poverty and inequality among small cultivators and landless labourers in malwa region of Punjab

Abstract

The intensification of agriculture sector in Punjab since green revolution has brought newlineunequal dividends among cultivators and agricultural labourers. The large land holders newlinehave become better off, while conditions of small cultivators and landless labourers newlinehave worsened overtime. This given rise to widespread prevalence of indebtedness, newlinepoverty and inequalities among cultivators and agricultural labourers. In this context, newlinethe study has explored nature and extent of indebtedness and measured poverty and newlineinequality among small cultivators and landless labourers in Malwa region of Punjab. A newlinesample of 480 households comprising of 320 small cultivators (160 marginal and small newlinefarmer households each) and 160 landless labourers was taken from two districts, newlineBathinda and Mansa, which were selected randomly. The findings of the study have newlinerevealed that socio-economic conditions of small cultivators in general and landless newlinelabourers in particular were poor in terms of ownership of various household and newlineagricultural assets, access to basic amenities and sanitation facilities. The average newlineannual income combined from all sources was found to be short of their annual newlineexpenditures. As a result, they tend to borrow loans from formal and informal credit newlineagencies for domestic and agricultural needs. This has caused indebtedness among them. Poverty and inequality exist in various dimensions, including income, education, newlinehealth, and living standards. newline