AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION

AGRICULTURAL POPULATION

AGRICULTURE IS THE PREDOMINANT OCCUPATION in Jalgaon district, and the census figures of 1951 show that it provided means of livelihood to 60.6 per cent, of the total population. The deciennal census figures for the past many years owing to changes in the methods of enumeration and classification do not provide a consistent record, from decade to decade of the changes in the structure and composition of population actually engaged in agriculture. Thus, the data collected during the census years 1911, 1921 and 1931 cannot he compared directly with each other, nor can it he taken to he representative in all respects inasmuch as the basis of classification, the method of collection, the scope as well as the purview of enquiry have all undergone a significant change during successive census years. However, with a view to studying the changes in the pattern of employment in Jalgaon district since the beginning of the 20th century, it will be worth while to take a note of the broad trends as are easily discernible from the following table:—

TABLE No. 1

STATEMENT SHOWING POPULATION AND PRINCIPAL EARNERS ENGAGED IN VARIOUS AGRICULTURAL PURSUITS IN JALGAON DISTRICT DURING 1911 AND 1931

The total population of Jalgaon district increased by 3.96 per cent, from 10,34,886 in 1911 to 10,75,837 in 1921 and further increased by 12.10 per cent, to 12,06,035 in 1931 which means an increase of 16.54 per cent, when compared to that in 1911. Total number of 'principal earners', however, declined by 84,000 or by 16.4 per cent, from 5,10,761 in 1911 to 4,26,761 in 1921. The same trend is to be observed in employment in 'pastures and agriculture', which declined by 23.5 per cent, from 3,90,466 in 1911 to 2,98,781 in 1921. In 1931, however, both these heads of classification represented a small increase when compared to 1921 figures. Number of principal earners increased by 1.4 per cent, from 4,26,761 in 1921 to 4,32,945 in 1931. Employment in 'pastures and agriculture' also increased by 3 per cent, from 2,98,781 in 1921 to 3,07,865 in 1931. The number of 'principal earners' and persons engaged in 'pastures and agriculture' in 1931 when compared to the corresponding figures in 1911 represent a decline of 15.2 per cent, or 77,816 and of 21.2 per cent, or 82,601, respectively.

As can be seen from the table, the decline in the number of 'principal earners' and the fall in the level of employment in the group 'pastures and agriculture' between 1911 and 1921 are seen spread over other categories also, viz., 'ordinary cultivators', 'stock raising' and 'forestry'. However, the increase in the number of 'principal earners' and those employed in 'pastures and agriculture' between 1911 and 1921 is not reflected in the heads listed above. The category of 'farm servants and labourers' practically doubled being 1.3 lakhs in 1921 and 2.6 lakhs in 1931, respectively.

The following tables based on 1951 census give the number of people engaged in agriculture and in various allied occpations:—

TABLE No. 2

 POPULATION ENGAGED IN AGRICULTURE—DISTRICT JALGAON (1951)

TABLE No. 3.

POPULATION ENGAGED IN ALLIED AGRICULTURAL OCCUPATIONS—DISTRICT JALGAON (1951)

Agriculture constitutes the main source of livelihood to 10,36,653 persons including self-supporting persons and their dependents both earning and non-earning, besides providing subsidiary occupation to a fairly large number of other persons. In the tables given above arc included persons engaged in agricultural cultivation; land-owners—cultivating and non-cultivating; garden cultivators; labourers working in forests and persons engaged in breeding, rearing and dealing in live-stock. The majority of the 10,36,653 persons and their dependents are cultivating owners who work on their own farms (6,82,974). The agricultural labourers who work on others farms for wages in cash or kind and their dependents (3,09,714) form the next most numerous class. Tenant-cultivators and their dependents, (32,227) come third. The non-cultivating owners of land and their dependents (11,738) usually give out their lands to tenant-cultivators on rent. Those engaged in allied agricultural occupations include 40 engaged in plantation, 336 in the collection of fuel wood, burning firewood for charcoal, etc., 1,858 in stock-raising and six in rearing of small insecs and animals. Persons engaged in live-stock business usually keep quality cattle, buffaloes and transport animals. They also keep sheep, goats and poultry.

It will also be interesting to study the pattern of employment on the basis of figures of population given in the Census reports under the head "Rural", which include not only persons engaged in agriculture and allied occupations but also those engaged in definitely non-agricultural occupations. These figures show that during the last fifty years or so, the rate of increase in rural population has not kept pace with that in urban population. This is illustrated by the following table:—

TABLE No. 4.

RURAL AND URBAN POPULATION IN JALGAON DISTRICT (1911-1951).

During the period 1911—1951, the total population increased from 10,34,886 to 14,71,351 which represents an addition of 4,36,465 or a percentage increase of 42.2 over that in 1911.

Going by the census figures alone, the urban population in the district as a whole rose from 2,19,256 in 1911 to 4,67,433 in 1951, indicating a percentage increase of 113.2. It would be wrong to figure this out as a real sign of all-round urbanization. In fact, urbanization in the district has largely been confined to the historical towns of Amalner, Bhusawal and Jalgaon. There were in Jalgaon 29 towns in 1951 with a population of over 5,000 but many of them which were primary villages acquired their present status by a natural increase in their population. It is not possible to estimate the degree of urbanization these towns have achieved, as figures of population for them are not available for all the years from 1881.

TABLE No. 5

MOVEMENT OF URBAN POPULATION IN JALGAON DISTRICT (1881, 1941 AND 1951).

The highest percentage increase has been in Jalgaon followed by Amalner and Bhusawal. The total population of these towns in 1881 was 27,158, whereas in 1951 it was 1,67,404, an increase of 516.5 per cent during a period of seventy years. The increase in population in Jalgaon can be attributed to its rise as a centre of cotton trade and manufacture and the headquarters of the district. Bhusawal owes its importance to its being the headquarters of the regional division of the Central Railway. Amalner has also emerged as an industrial and trade centre.

Barring Jalgaon, all the talukas are predominantly rural. In 1951, the rural population was distributed among various talukas as follows: —

TABLE No. 6.

RURAL POPULATION (TALUKAWISE), JALGAON DISTRICT, 1951.

Jalgaon and Bhusawal talukas represent an admixture of urban-rural trends, judged from the ratio of rural population to total population the former having a rural population of 44.19 per cent, and the latter 51.91 per cent. These two talukas are noted for their commercial and industrial activities. The rest of the talukas are predominantly rural, the percentage of rural population to total population varying from 65.31 in Yawal to as high as 100 in Edlabad.

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