An Economic Analysis of Farm and Non-Farm Employment: A Case Study of Sirsa District, Haryana, India

Abstract

Agriculture sector is the crucial sector for the overall development of the economy of the country. In India, major portion of population depends upon agriculture sector but with rising pressure of population on the considering sector, the non - farm sector also has greater importance due to extra labour absorption capacity and it provides job opportunities and income as a secondary source during the slack agricultural season. The issues related to farm and non-farm employment have been taken up by conducting a primary based study in Sirsa district of Haryana state. Data have been collected from a sample of 100 households of four villages of Nathusari Chopta and Sirsa blocks of district Sirsa during the year of 2011-12 with the help of a well structured questionnaire. The study has evaluated the nature, magnitude and composition of farm and non-farm employment and the efforts have also made to identify the main determinants of the non-farm employment. The study has highlights that the working population of district Sirsa has adopted the agriculture as their main occupation. It has also revealed that the employment in the non-farm sector has been increasing significantly and self-employment and government sector has emerged as the main sector of the employment. The significant determinants of rural non-farm employment have been identified in the forms of the number of persons in farm employment per household, total workers per household and farm size. The paper suggested for the diversification in agriculture sector and raising the level of literacy rate in rural area, Concessional loans etc. The growth of the Agra based industries has been recognized as the key sector of employment for the rural population. The study provides the means and suggestions for policy makers to solve the problem of unemployment by increasing the non-farm activities. The results of the study may be helpful in policy decision on job opportunities in rural areas in the context of farm and non-farm employment.