A study on seasonal employment in rural areas (With reference to agricultural sector)

Agriculture in India is seasonal and thus it causes seasonal unemployment, which varies from region to region and with the type of crops. With the continuous growth of population and with almost static area of cultivable land, there is a chronic redundancy of agricultural labor, which has assumed the shape of disguised under-employment. A large volume of disguised unemployment exists among workers in small and cottage industries, which have declined due to competition with big factory products, made within the country or imported from abroad. The problem is widespread in rural as well urban areas. So far as rural areas are concerned, a very large number of people living in villages remain without any work for about five to seven months in the year. More than 70% of the total population of the country is engaged in or dependent on agricultural or allied operations. As a result of increasing poverty due to acute unemployment in rural areas, there has been a continuous movement of rural unemployed to urban areas. This article is taken up to highlight the impact of seasonal employment in rural areas and to study the difficulties faced by the farmers in their employment.