Articles
SURPLUS FARM FAMILY FEMALE LABOUR FOR PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING OF HORTICULTURAL CROPS
This study was, therefore, conducted with an objective to assess the month-wise availability of farm family surplus female labour with a view to accordingly suggest strategies for utilisation of the same.
The study pertained to the Union Territory of Delhi but can be applicable to similar situations in other areas.
The reference year of this study was 1987–88.
The availability of surplus farm family female labour was assessed under different resource endowment situations, viz. (a) those individually owning machinery, (b) those jointly owning machinery, (c) those using machinery on custom hire basis, and (d) bullock operated farms.
The farm households were classified as small and large in accordance with the size of their operational holdings.
The study revealed that the small farms had more surplus farm family female labour than their large counterparts, and the availability of such labour differed between different months.
Further it was observed that the assessed surplus farm family female labour was more on mechanised farms as compared to that on bullock operated farms.
It was therefore suggested that the skills of the farm women be improved by specially designed training programmes so as to equip them to take advantage of existing and emerging innovations.
For example, they may be trained for the adoption of plastic technology for growing some of the remunerative horticultural crops.
This of course needs to be supported by other infrastructural facilities like specially designed multistoried shelves/structures, preferably near their dwelling places so as to enable them to manage the production of such crops without ignoring their household chores.
In northern India, thatched huts could be used for growing button mushrooms during the period when the temperature ranged from 14°C to 25°C. All these efforts must be supplemented by post-harvest marketing and processing facilities so as to offer adequate value productivity, which would imply creation of suitable storage and other facilities.
Between the point of production and point of consumption, the estimated losses of fruits and vegetables range from 5% to 40%. Hence the use of mobile processing vans may be encouraged for rushing the injured/cut fruits to the nearby villages where the available farm family surplus female labour could be used for the processing of the same.
This will help decrease the post-harvest losses and also provide employment opportunities for the women.