Agricultural technologies: Impact on labour employment and wages in green revolution belt of India

The rapid modernization of agriculture and the introduction of new technologies such as those that characterized the Green Revolution, farm mechanization, etc. have had a differential impact on rural population, particularly in agriculturally advanced states of India like Punjab and Haryana. Agricultural technology in India appears to have had mixed impact on farm income, labour use patter, employment, wages etc. The present study workouts the impact of improved farm technology on agricultural labour, wages and employment in Haryana. The results of study show that the machinery labour displaces the human labour and bullock labour by inducing improved farm technology. Family labour employment was displaced by hired agricultural labourers on progressive over non-progressive farms. It was also found that that high labour requirement in peak operation periods tends to increase the level of wage rates of hired labour as compared to slack period on all sizes of land holdings of both types of farms i.e. progressive and non-progressive farms. The low employment in slack period as compared to peak puts a downward pressure on wages. Still there existed a wide gap between the wage rates actually paid to the casual labourers and minimum wage rate (Rs. 95.55) announced by the government during the period under study and there is need to strengthen the implementation part of this act by the government as well as to persuade and convince the people to obey the act.