Water Users Association and Irrigation Management - Institute for ...

Agriculture is the main occupation of the sample households in both the villages. About 53
percent of the respondents in Gundur and 57 percent of them in Hagedal are engaged in
agriculture (see Table 4.7). About 26 percent supplement their income from agriculture by
working as agricultural laborers in Gundur while in Hagedal only 19 percent of the
respondents supplement their agriculture by working as agricultural laborers. The
household labor is likely to be applied mainly because of economic reasons and sometimes
when the household members believe the returns are likely to be best. Although Gangavathi
tal uk headquarters is only 22 kilometers from Gundur only 4 percent of the sample
households are engaged in the service sector. While in Hagedal, 9 percent are engaged in
the service sector, the reasons being that around 22 percent of them are above
matriculation. Non-agricultural occupations have spread among agricultural households and
have int1uenced dynamism into the peasant class structure by widening their scope for
earning. Sometimes the household has more than one earning member or a single member
taking up a number of occupations or even both. Agricultural households are involved in
non-agriculture pursuits primarily to supplement income from al:,'liculture. Among nonagricultural
occupations. some are traditional like blacksmithing, carpentry; barber, etc.
whereas driving a tractor and trading are recently developed. Some of the large farmers in
Hagedal have taken up money lending as a side business. Resource poor farmers with
limited acccsscs to productive assets often migrate on a seasonal basis to nearby towns or
villages in search of employment.
Table 4.8: Distribution of Respondents by Experience in Irrigated Agriculture
Experience in irril!:ated a\!ricuIture Gundur Hagedal
Up to 10 years 7 (14.9) 16 (24.6)
II to 20 years II (23.4) 22 (3\.9)
21 to 30 years 15(3\.9) II (15.9)
31 and above 14 (29.8) 9 (27.5)
-..
Total 47 69
Note: Figures in parenthesis indICate percent.
Around 32 pcrccnt of the samplc farmers in Gundur have 20 to 30 years experience in
irrigated agriculture, closely followcd by 30 percent having more than 30 years experience.
While in Hagedal the largest proportions (31.9 percent) of the respondents have between 11
to 20 years experience in irrigated agriculture and around 30 percent of them have more
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