Women Workers as Human Resource in Agriculture
Written by: Dr. Gandham Sri Rama KrishnaPublished in Journal of Indian Economic Panorama, New Delhi, July, 2014, Vol.24, No.2. PP.15-17.
In
this article, an attempt is made to examine the role of agriculture in Indian
economic development, its share in the national income, agriculture
as an unorganised sector and characteristics of the agricultural women workers.
Role of agriculture in economic development
In India agriculture contributes to the
economic development by providing
food for sustenance, raw materials for
industries and exports to earn valuable
foreign exchange. Moreover, it creates employment opportunities for the
rural workers. Eighty per cent of the
population live in villages, with nearly 58.4 per cent of them
depending on agriculture. Agriculture forms the backbone of the Indian economy. In spite of industrialisation, agriculture
still holds a place of pride in India.
India is one of the important
developing countries where the role of agriculture is very crucial for
sustaining and promoting economic development, as a vast segment of its
population depends on it for its livelihood. Agriculture is more a way of life
in India than a business. The
significance of agriculture in the economy can be explained by examining its role in agriculture under different heads.
· Agriculture as a source of livelihood
The agriculture sector provides
livelihood to nearly 58.4 per cent of the work force which contributes
nearly 26 per cent of gross domestic product and accounts for
about 18 per cent share of the total value of the country’s exports.
It supplies the bulk of wage - goods required by the non-agricultural
sector and raw material for a large
section of industry. Per capita
net availability of food grains went up
to a level of 467 grams per day in 1999-2000 as compared to that of 395
grams in the early fifties. There
are three main crop seasons, namely, kharif, rabi and summer. Major kharif crops are rice, jowar, maize, cotton, sugarcane, sesame and
groundnut. Major rabi crops are wheat, jowar, barley, gram, linseed, rapeseed
and mustard. Rice, maize and
groundnut are grown in summer season
also.
Agriculture
has a greater role in economic
development in less developed countries
like India as it provides livelihood to
the vast majority of people.
The agricultural provides
livelihood to about three-fourths of the Indian population. According to the 2001 census, in India 58.4
per cent of total workers depend on
agriculture for sustenance. Among rural women
39.4 per cent are employed in agriculture as workers.
This fact reflects the importance of agriculture relative to other
sectors of the economy.
· Agriculture
and Industrial Development
Being the
largest supplier of the necessities of
life, raw materials and consumer of industrial products, agriculture plays a very important role in many
dimensions for the industrial development. Cotton textile,
sugar, jute etc., industries depend on agriculture
directly. There are many other
industries which depend on agriculture
in an
indirect manner. Many of our
small-scale and cottage industries
like handloom weaving, oil crushing,
rice husking etc., depend upon
agriculture for their raw materials. It has been estimated that the industries which draw their raw material
from the agriculture sector contribute
nearly 50 per cent of the income generated in the manufacturing sector in
India.
· Agriculture
and rural development
Rural development means developing the rural economy so as to raise the standard of living
of the rural people who are poor and require to be uplifted
(Giriappa,1976). As a concept, thus, rural development connotes
overall development of rural areas with a view to improve the quality of life of the rural people. In this sense, it is a comprehensive and
multidimensional concept and encompasses the development of agriculture and allied activities like
village and cottage industries, crafts,
socio-economic infrastructure,
community service and facilities and above all human resources in the rural areas. Rural development
is a strategy to enable a
specific group of people - poor and
rural women and men, to get for themselves and their children more
of what they want and need.
Agriculture
is one
of the major occupations in unorganised sector. It has
characteristic features like the contract between farmers and workers, long
hours of work, low skills, discrimination
in wages, casual nature of employment,
lack of social security, lack of minimum facilities, lack of job security, lack
of legal protection etc. (SurekhaRao,
2000).
According to the Second
Agricultural Labour Enquiry Committee (1956-1957), made the definition more
broad and viewed agricultural worker to
include not only worker employed in crop production but also engaged in allied
activities like, animal husbandry, poultry, dairy etc., Thus several more
categories of workers were brought within the scope of the term ‘Agricultural
Worker’ in the second enquiry.
Employment in agriculture is mostly seasonal
with varying intensities depending upon regional characteristics and crop-pattern. This seasonal activity is followed by slack
period, the duration of which varies from
region to region. During slack season agricultural workers have to seek
alternative sources of employment. Migration is another distinct feature. In busy seasons, agricultural
workers emigrate from regions where
workers are relatively abundant to regions where they are scarce.
Women in agriculture
Women
constitute about 50 per cent of the human resources of every society, are
greater instruments in the development of human resources than men. They not
only can enter into any profession and economic activity but also remain as
mothers and caretakers of potential human resources – children. Human resources
especially women power need to be assigned key role in any developmental
strategy. Trained and educated on sound lines, they become an asset in
accelerating economic growth and in ensuring social change in desired directions,
as education develops basic skills and abilities and fosters a value system
conducive to national development goals (Kaushik, 1996).
“Nature gave
women too much power:
The law gives them too little”
Women human resource may be
interpreted as a resource to be recognised and appreciated, and which has to
treated as a human one, and not like other material resources. It assumes
that women are a great asset, and can contribute a great deal to the
achievement of national goals. This positive view of women as an asset with the
unlimited potential is the core concept of the human resource. They have
immense potential for growth, which can be developed through appropriate and
systematic efforts. It is also realized
that participation of agricultural women is necessary to enhance the resource
and the more the nation invests on its women the greater the return. Women’s participation in all development
efforts is necessary so that they can involve themselves and contribute to the
development of the nation and its people. Women should operate with values as human beings as well as
contribute to these values by creating tradition and culture of respecting
people as human beings.
Impact of
globalisation on women in the
agriculture sector of India
In India,
the aim of the economic reforms package initiated in 1990’s with
liberalisation, privatsation and globalisation as its hallmark, is to improve
the quality of life of people especially the economically poor particularly
women. But it is a paradox that with all the constitutional safeguards, legal provisions and
developmental efforts, Indian women by
and large have been suffering socially, economically and politically.
In
the rural informal sector, women have
been doing the agricultural and pre-agricultural activities involving drudgery like transplanting, paddy seedlings by long hours of standing and
bending in the slush in the field, winnowing and drying of grains,
weeding and inter-culture in the standing
crops and sharing the responsibilities
for caring of cattle. All these farm activities relate to subsistence of
agriculture. But women do not have the employment status, since their work is dependent upon
those who own, control and manage
agricultural activities.
The impact of globalisation to
this segment of agriculture women has been negative in many areas;
·
The export augmentation as the core of liberalisation adversely affects livelihood of women in coastal tracts where shrimp farming is practiced besides polluting ground water.
·
Modernisation of
agriculture through technological inputs
affects employment opportunities of women farm workers in partial or in full.
The net result has been migration of women to urban areas on a temporary, seasonal
or permanent basis.
·
The free play of
Multi National Corporations has a direct impact on the health and living of
women through pollution,
degradation of natural resources,
depletion of soil, coastal and marine resources.
In
sum, feminisation of rural poverty has
become a significant problem of globalisation. (Nasurudeen, 2001).
Women workforce in India and Andhra Pradesh
According to the Census of India
(2001), majority of women workers are
employed in the rural areas. Amongst rural women workers, 58.4 per cent are employed
in agriculture as workers. Among the
women workers in the urban areas, 80 per cent are employed in unorganized
sectors like household industry, petty trades and services, building and
construction, etc.
· Agricultural sector in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh covers an area of 2,75,045 sq km, and state population as on 1
March 2001 stood at 7,57,27,541.
Agriculture is the main occupation of about 39.6 per cent of the
people in Andhra Pradesh. Rice is a
major food crop and staple food of the state contributing
about 80 per cent of the food grain production. Other important crops are jowar, bajra, maize,
ragi, small millets, pulses, castor,
tobacco, cotton and sugarcane. Forests cover 23 per cent of the state’s area.
Important forest products are teak, eucalyptus, cashew, casuarinas, bamboo etc. Net area irrigated through all
irrigation sources during 1999-2000 was 43.84 lakh hectares.
The State of Andhra Pradesh came into
existence through the fusion of three
regions - Coastal Andhra, Rayalaseema
and Telangana with diverse
physio-geographical, socio-economic and
political background that had conditioned their economic and agricultural
development.
The Coastal region consisting of nine districts
viz., Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam,
East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam and Nellore. It has fertile delta land formed by the three
major rivers, — the Godavari, Krishna and Penna. Most of the paddy and other
important food and commercial crops are grown in this area.
The Rayalaseema region comprising of four districts of
Anantapur, Cuddapah, Kurnool and Chittoor,
is long known as the stalling ground of famines. The soil is rocky and unyielding; the rainfall is scanty and uncertain. The
region is scarcely populated.
Telangana
region comprises of ten Telugu-speaking districts — Mahaboobnagar, RangaReddy, Hyderabad, Medak, Nizamabad, Adilabad, Kareemnagar, Warangal, Khammam and
Nalgonda of former Hyderabad state. Except the city of Hyderabad, the economy of the entire region has remained
stagnant and undeveloped due to
centuries of feudal rule. The land is
mostly dry and its agriculture is
confined to growing some dry crops with the help of tank irrigation.
· Role of agriculture in A.P.State economy
The
State of Andhra Pradesh is essentially an agricultural state where more than
39.6 per cent of the population depend upon agriculture and the contribution of
agriculture to state’s income is nearly 50 per cent. An attempt is made in this
sub-section to study the specific ways in which agriculture is playing a vital
role in the economy of Andhra Pradesh.
The agricultural sector meets the increasing need for
foodgrains on account of increase in
population of the state and also the need for increase in the level of income.
If the supplies of these goods are not sufficient, the prices go up jeopardising the very process of development of the state. Agriculture is the major source for the development of non-agricultural sectors like industry and
services. Agriculture can help the state a great deal in adding a crop or two
within the existing crop pattern and that too with little incentives and with
perhaps no additional capital investments.
An
increase in production and productivity in agriculture will create more jobs
and raise the volume of work in
agriculture as well as in industry. Thus employment opportunities can be increased for larger
number than before in the state. Further, expansion of agriculture will improve the levels of income of rural people in the state and
change their life styles in addition to
stimulating industrial growth.(Siva Rama Krishna ,1995)
·
Workforce profile in Andhra Pradesh
The percentage of total workers increased
from 45 in 1991 to 45.8 in 2001 in Andhra Pradesh (Census of India 2001).
The increase has occurred both in men and women workers. However, the
percentage of increase is more among men
than women workers. Among men
the increase is 0.9 per cent and
in women 0.6 per cent. In terms of percentages the increase may appear
insignificant but the absolute numbers are more impressive. In Andhra Pradesh,
the absolute number of workers has increased by more than 49 lakhs (49,01,469)
which is not a small number. At this juncture
it may be pertinent to state that when the decadal population growth rate is around 13.86 per
cent, the growth rate of workers is 16.36 per cent. During the decade the
number of men workers grew by more than 30 lakhs (30,14,805) and women workers
increased by 18.87 lakhs (18,86,664).
In India, the State of Andhra Pradesh occupies
the first place with the highest number of agricultural women workers where
73,86,920 women are found employed in various occupations accounting for 56.2
per cent of the total women workers of the country (in terms of absolute number
A.P. is in the first place. But in terms
of percentage agricultural women workers to the total women workers of the
country, Bihar is ahead of A.P.). The
other states that follow A.P. in the order are Maharashtra (63,62,152), Uttar
Pradesh (52,75,689), Bihar (47,29,352).
The distribution of agricultural women worker in different states
indicate certain correlations. The
incidence of agricultural women workers
is mainly linked to the agricultural land available in the area as also the
limited non-farm employment opportunities.
The
distribution of agricultural women workers based on district. Of the 5,29,891 total women workers in West
Godavari district, 75.5 per cent of them are agricultural women workers,
accounting for the highest according to district. This is followed by Krishna (71.9%); Khammam
(67.8%); Guntur (67.7%); East Godavari with (66.9%) agricultural women workers,
occupies the fifth place when the percentage is taken with total women workers of each district.
Distribution of agricultural workers according to
total in Andhra Pradesh
S.No.
|
Category of workers
|
Men
|
Women
|
Total
|
1.
|
Total
workers
|
21,725,810
(62.31)
|
13,139,307
(37.69)
|
34,865,117
(100)
|
2.
|
Agricultural
workers
|
6,431,834
(46.54)
|
7,386,920
(53.46)
|
13,818,754
(100)
|
3.
|
Percentage
of Agricultural workers (men & women) to the total workers (men &
women)
|
29.60
|
56.20
|
--
|
Note : Figures
in parenthesis indicates percentage
Source
: Census of India, 2001
The
table reveals that the total workforce in Andhra Pradesh is over 34 millions of
this the men workforce constitutes 62.31 per cent whereas women workers
constitute 37.69 per cent and when we consider the workforce depending on
agriculture for their livelihood they form 39.60 per cent. If we distribute the agricultural workforce
in terms of men and women, the women workforce out number men, the percentages
in respect of women and men agricultural workers are 53.46 and 46.54 respectively. This clearly shows
that agricultural women workers are preponderant when compared to men
workers. When we examine the pattern of
employment of women workers it can be noted that the women workers depending on
agriculture forms the majority, accounting for 56.2 per cent of the total women
workforce.
CONCLUSIONS
India is predominantly an
agricultural country with different religions and cultures. There is a general impression that India is a
country of farmer – proprietors and there are no serious labour problems in
agriculture. But in actual practice
there are problems, which are of two types – social and economic. The first has its origin in the low status of
agricultural workers in the rural hierarchy, the second in the chronic lack of
adequate employment opportunities. Their conditions of work depend on the
prosperity of the farmer. It is said
that the agricultural workers are at the mercy of farmers. The studies on rural labour also point out
that the agricultural women workers are swelling its ranks both in absolute
terms and in proportion to the total rural women workers.
The rural agricultural women workers are often
socially and culturally isolated. They
commonly lack the productive assets other than their working power which would
enable them to struggle for independence and self-reliance. They remain attached in various ways to those
who have control over land and capital. They have learnt to live with apathy,
injustice and have no opportunity for schooling. They work without being recognised as workers,
and throughout their lives they are expected to obey male authority. Women’s condition as family members and co-workers has not changed even after 12th five year plans. Agricultural women workers are taken for
granted and there is little recognition of the importance of their contribution
to economy.
Agricultural women workers encounter many difficulties
because of their distressing and pitiable working conditions such as long
working hours, low wages, inhuman behaviour and gender discrimination.
REFERENCES
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S. (1976). Urbanization and Rural
Development, Studies in Rural Development.
Bangalore : Institute for Social
and Economic Change, .
2.Surekha
Rao, K. (2000). “Problems of Women
agriculture Workers in East Godavari District (A.P.)”, Workers Education
Nagpur : Quarterly Journal of Central Board for Workers Education, September,
p. 39.
3.Kaushik
Vijay, Bala Rani Sharma. (1996). Encyclopedia of Human Rights and Women’s
Development. New Delhi : Sarup and Sons, Vol.1, p.1
4.Narsurudeen,
P., Umamaheswari, L. (2001). “Is
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and Culture. India : June16 Villalanna Pondicherry..
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Rama Krishna, K., Ramesh, K., Gangadhara Rao, M.. (1995). Human Resource Management in Agriculture,
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