Dynamics of Agricultural Labour in Small-Farm Economy: Work, Gender and Technologies in Cotton Production in Telangana

Abstract

This paper explores the nature and dynamics of labour in cotton production in Telangana which emerged as the third largest cotton-producing state in India. It also examines the roles of new technologies, gender and migrant labour in cotton farming while mapping various forms of labour. Cotton still remains the most labour intensive among the major crops in India, even as labour-replacing technologies are increasingly put to use. The changes in the extent of area under its cultivation are also significantly influenced by the availability and cost of labour which seem to drive the shift towards cotton in agriculturally backward regions in the recent years. The shift also appears among the farming classes that depend on family labour. Based on a field study in Telangana during the 2019–2020 Kharif season, this paper draws attention onto the prominent role of household labour relative to hired labour in the emergent agrarian structure marked by small farms. This dimension along with the new labour replacing technologies has significant implications for the conditions of labour including wages, and for our understanding of the nature and categories of farmers and farm labour.