Resource use, employment and income among marginal and small farm households in Punjab
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Date
2013
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Publisher
PAU
Abstract
The present study was undertaken to study the resource use and income on the marginal and small farms in Punjab, to develop optimum product-mix for these farms and compare it with existing ones, to find out credit requirements and access to institutional finance on these farms, to study the nature and extent of employment of these farm households and to identify factors determining income for the marginal and small farm households. The primary data related to availability and use of various resources on the marginal and the small farms, access to credit of the farmers, nature and extent of employment and sources of income of the marginal and small farm households were collected through personal interview method from the sample of 320 farmers in Punjab pertaining to the year 2009-10. The results brought out that the marginal and the small farmers not only had a small size of operational holding but also suffered from lack of various resources in farm production. There existed a scope to increase income on their farm provided new high yielding crop and other alternative activities were introduced to them along with provision of sufficient capital and technical knowhow for their production. The industry of agriculture was the main source of employment for the household members of the marginal and the small farmers. Only a few persons from these farm households could find employment in the other industries. There was felt an urgent need to strengthen non-farm sector in Punjab in order to siphon off unemployed or disguisedly employed household members of the marginal and small farmers from the industry of agriculture.
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Keywords
Marginal and small farmers, Crop and dairy production, Non-farm employment