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economics of on-farm development - Institute for Social and ...

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younger age group (16-30) in agricultural activities is <strong>on</strong>ly 51 per cent, as against<br />

over 70 per cent <strong>for</strong> the other higher age groups. Of the total unemployed, 88 per<br />

cent are in the young age group (1990:91). Labour shortage has been felt in<br />

coc<strong>on</strong>ut plucking as well as cashew-processing factories <strong>for</strong> shelling (Oeepa,<br />

1994). The preference <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> labourers, especially those in the younger age groups,<br />

has been clearly dem<strong>on</strong>strated to be <strong>for</strong> stable employment even if that involves a<br />

compromise <strong>on</strong> the level <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> earnings (Kannan, 1998: L-68).<br />

Kannan (1999) dem<strong>on</strong>strates that the militant labour uni<strong>on</strong>ism in the state<br />

has been effective in terms <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> putting in place a system <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> wage payment to<br />

agricultural labourers even when the labour was not actually employed as in the<br />

case <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> head load services. This system is en<strong>for</strong>ced in paddy cultivati<strong>on</strong> in the<br />

wet l<strong>and</strong> regi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Kuttanad in Southern Kerala (which still retains powerful<br />

labour uni<strong>on</strong>s). In this case, <strong>farm</strong>ers are made to agree to make payments to<br />

traditi<strong>on</strong>al ploughmen (who do animal ploughing in the fields) when tractors are<br />

introduced <strong>for</strong> such ploughing. He points to the c<strong>on</strong>trast that though the uni<strong>on</strong><br />

strategy <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> securing better c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> work <strong>and</strong> enhancing wage rates could be<br />

successful, it fails to prevent a decline in employment as there is no <strong>farm</strong> level<br />

investment <strong>for</strong>thcoming <strong>and</strong> a shift to less labour absorbing cropping pattern in<br />

agriculture. This dilemma he explains as <strong>on</strong>e <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> 'wage gain <strong>and</strong> job loss'.<br />

Another important factor indicated has been the decline in operati<strong>on</strong>al<br />

size <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> holdings due to sub-divisi<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> fragmentati<strong>on</strong>. This has serious<br />

c<strong>on</strong>sequences affecting scale ec<strong>on</strong>omies <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>farm</strong> operati<strong>on</strong>s in the state. The NSS<br />

estimates show that while the percentage share <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> marginal holdings increased<br />

from 89 per cent during 1971-72 to 93 per cent in 1992, the area held by this<br />

73

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