Differential preference of work by agricultural labourers and their employment and wage pattern in Thiruvananthapuram district
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Date
1994
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Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture, Vellayani
Abstract
The study, ‘Differential Preference of Work by Agricultural Labourers and Their Employment and Wage Pattern in Thiruvananthapuram District’ was condutcted in 10 panchayats of the district with the following specific objectives.
1. To analyse the employment pattern of agricultural labourers of Thiruvananthapuram district.
2. To analyze the wage pattern of agricultural labourers of Thiruvananthapuram district.
3. To study the differential preference by agricultural labourers towards various agricultural operations and to analyse the reasons for preference or non-preference.
4. To study the socio-economic and psychological profile of agricultural labourers.
5. To suggest ways and means for equitable distribution of employment and income throughout the year.
The study was conducted in 10 randomly selected panchayats of Thiruvananthapuram district. A sample of 120 agricultural labourers ie, 60 male and 60 females, selected 12 labourers from each panchayat formed the respondents. Out of this, 40 laboureres formed the sub-sample, from whom the data regarding the employment and wage pattern were collected with the help of a special schedule.
Personnel Interview was conducted with the help of a pre-tested, well structured interview schedule to collect data. Along with this, the differential preference by agricultural labourers towards different agricultural operations and the reasons for the preference or non-preference were also collected.
The profile characteristics selected for the study were age, sex, caste, religion, family type, family size, family income, experience, socio-economic status, cosmopoliteness, mass media participation, indebtedness, level of aspiration, achievement motivation, attitude towards scientific agriculture, attitude towards agricultural labour, participation in decision making, knowledge in farming and knowledge about improved farm implements. Salient findings of the study are as following.
During May to October, more employment was obtained for agricultural labourers. Total number of days employed by a male agricultural labourer was 167 days and that of a female agricultural labourers was 141 days in a year. Number of days employed in agricultural labour was more than the number of days in employment in non-agricultural field. They were unemployed for about six to seven months in a year.
The works mostly engaged by the male agricultural labourer were digging, application of organic manure and fertilizers, basin preparation for coconut, taking mounts for tapioca etc. Transplanting, weeding and harvesting were the jobs mostly the female agricultural labourers engaged.
Average daily income of the male agricultural labourer was Rs. 12.16 from agricultural labour and Rs. 8. 86 from non-agricultural works. The same for a female agricultural labourer was Rs. 8.95 from agricultural labour and Rs. 2.40 from non-agricultural works. In a male agricultural labour household and in a female agricultural labour household, the contribution of income from agricultural labour to the total annual household income were 53 per cent and 55.5 per cent respectively. Average annual income per agricultural labour household was Rs. 11382.20.
Male agricultural labourers preffered the hard works such as ploughing, digging, leveling, land preparation, basin preparation, taking pits for banana, taking mounts for tapioca etc., as they possessed more strength and stamina for doing these operations and also due to the high wage rates for these operations. Female agricultural labourers preferred mostly transplanting, weeding and harvesting of paddy crops as these operations provided maximum number of days of employment to them. Least preference was given to plant protection by both male and female labourers as this is the most dangerous operation.
Majority of agricultural labourers were young, scheduled caste Hindus from nuclear families with less than five members. Majority of them were with low family income, low indebtedness, an experience of about 25 years, and high cosmopoliteness.
Majority of male labourers were with high education, high socio-political participation, high socio-economic status, high mass media participation, high level of aspiration (past, present and future), high achievement motivation and high attitude towards scientific agriculture.
Majority of female labourers were with low education, low socio-political participation, low socio-economic status, low mass media participation, high level of past and present aspiration but low level of future aspiration, low achievement motivation and low attitude towards scientific agriculture.
Majority of the agricultural labourers had low attitude towards agricultural labour, high level of knowledge in farming and low level of knowledge about improved farm implements.
Majority of the male labourers had high participation in decision making while majority of female labourers had low participation.
There was significant difference between male and female agricultural labourers with respect to their socio-political participation, socio-economic status, cosmopoliteness, mass media participation, level of aspiration (Present and future), achievement motivation, attitude towards scientific agriculture, participation in decision making, knowledge in farming and knowledge about improved farm implements.
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