Changing Employment Pattern amongst Coffee Plantation Workers in Karnataka, India

Abstract

This paper studies the impact of mechanisation on employment patterns in coffee plantations in the Indian state of Karnataka. This study attempts to highlight the fact that farm employment in developing countries decreases with agricultural mechanisation, particularly for women workers. To measure the impact of technology on coffee workers in Karnataka, unit level data from employment-unemployment survey was collected from National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) for two time points of 1999-2000 and 2011-2012 based on the usual principal status of employment. Changes in the division of labour in plantations occurred due to the introduction of mechanical dryers. The latest technological component, mechanical dryers, coupled with other factors reduce female employment by fifty-four percent whereas the number of male workers increased by seventy percent due to increased numbers of male actors in the value chain. Technical efficiency was achieved at the expense of unequal employment opportunities for coffee plantation workers of India.