*Research Associate, ADRT Centre, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Nagarabahavi, Bangalore-560 072
**Associate Professor, Agricultural Development and Rural Transformation Centre (ADRTC), Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Nagarabhavi, Bangalore-560 072
Online published on 4 March, 2016.
Land is a very important economic commodity for the rural people. Based on the amount of land, households get social status and livelihood in the village. If the households have the land, they may have the other assets. Land enhances the dignity of the family. Most of the land holdings family having households are engaging themselves in the fields and recruiting some labour for working in their fields. If the land size is more then it provides employment for the whole family. Through land they can get income. Most of the Indian farmers are getting dignity because of their land. In villages, if land is not available for the households, then he/she has to work as an agriculture labour/non-agricultural labour. From the generation to generation only some of the social groups are having more lands and they are gets dignity in the social market. In India, 60% of total cultivated area is rainfed and this area is dependent on rainfall. The rainfed area provides 40% of food grains and 60% of livestock fodder is coming rainfed area alone. Small, Marginal farmers are play a major role in raising agricultural development and poverty reduction, improving socio-economic inequalities. Majority of the farmers landholdings is <2 hectares. But the most of the small and marginal farmers are Dalits in India in general and, particular in Karnataka state. In the above direction the study focused on small and marginal Dalit farmers in Karnataka state. According to 2011 census, Karnataka total SC population is 74,95,763 and the share of total population to SC population is 20 per cent. In Karnataka state Dalits are economically very poor, and most of the rural people are landless labours and some of them are small, marginal farmers and there are fewer are large farmers. The study primary data on rainfed region is based on in Karnataka state. The study has been chosen Srinivas saradgi village purposely in rainfed area of Karnataka. The objectives of the paper are to investigate the factors which are more obstacles to the agrarian development in the study area (rainfed)? Secondly to find out the socio economic conditions of small, marginal and Dalits in study area? Finally, to know what are the water sources of small and marginal Dalit farmers in rainfed region of selected village?
