AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION

AGRICULTURAL POPULATION

Agriculture still outweighs all the sectors of economy of the district. According to the old Gazetteer of the district, the proportion of the population engaged in agriculture was 71 per cent in Akola district and 76 in Basim (Washim) in 1901. About three quarters of the population were engaged in agriculture. Among the agriculturists in 1901 about 48 per cent of the whole population were returned as labourers, three quarters of them being actual workers; about 23 per cent were landholders and tenants, not quite a half being workers. Besides, a large proportion of industrial workers were engaged in work subsidiary to agriculture, such as the making of carts and agricultural implements. After reconstituting the district in 1905, Akola district with its six tahsils viz., Akot, Balapur, Murtizapur, Mangrulpir, Akola and Basim had a total population of 7,54,804 which in 1951 increased to 9,50,994. The total number of persons depending upon agriculture in the district in 1951 was returned at 7,18,954 or 75.60 per cent of the total population. Thus the percentage of population having agriculture as its main source of livelihood increased from 71 to 75.60 within a period of fifty years. However, this increase was due to the corresponding increase in the total population of the district by 25.99 per cent. In 1971, the total agricultural population of the district still increased to 4,89,652 which showed an overall increase of 2.78 per cent on that which prevailed in 1961. In 1971, the two categories of workers viz., cultivators and agricultural labourers together accounted for no less than 81.59 per cent of the total working population. Thus, the percentage rate of variation of population during 1951 and 1961 Censuses did not show any abnormal change. However, the percentage of population depending upon agriculture did increase from 75.60 in 1951 to 81.33 in 1961 and to 81.59 in 1971. From the above analysis it becomes apparent that quite a large proportion of population of the district has agriculture as its mainstay.

This large section of population depending on agriculture essentially belongs to the rural areas of the district. In 1971 the percentage of rural population to total population was as high as 76.47. However, the proportion of rural population in the district decreased from 83.43 in 1901 to 77.90 in 1961 and 76.47 in 1971. This might be due to the increase in urban population. The last decade ending 1971, however, showed a very high rate of rural growth which then was returned at 23.92 per cent over 0.67 per cent which was recorded in 1951.

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