AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION

AGRICULTURAL POPULATION.

AGRICULTURE HAS BEEN THE MAIN SOURCE OF LIVELIHOOD of people in the district. The old Gazetteer of Yeotmal, district stated about the same as under. "At every census about three quarters of the population has been engaged in agriculture, the exact proportion in Wun District in 1901 being 79 per cent, which is a little higher than that obtaining in any other District in Berar. As per the census of 1901 Wun district had a total population of very nearly 467,000. Agricultural labour then maintained 287,000 people, live-sixths of whom were returned as workers. Landholders and tenants numbered 80,000, less than one-half being workers; and stock-breeding and dealing supported 7,500 people, mostly workers." [ Central Provinces District Gazetteers, Yeotmal District, Vol. A., 1908, pp 45-46.]

The percentage of people dependent on agriculture increased from 79 per cent in 1901 to 85.30 per cent in 1961, an increase of 6.30 per cent. This again shows the important role that agriculture has for long played in the economy of the district. Of the nine categories of economic activities amongst which the working population of the district was classified at 1961 Census, the two categories, viz., cultivators and agricultural labourers engaged as many as 34.21 and 51.08 per cent of the total workers, respectively. Considering the division of working population into males and females under the class of agricultural labourers, the percentage of females was much higher, i.e., 63.25 than that of males which stood at 41.68 per cent. Under the category of cultivators, the same distribution of males and females in 1961 was 36.02 and 31.87 per cent, respectively. This shows the higher proportion of agricultural labourers in the agrarian economy of the district.

The following statement gives the distribution of workers, males and females, on the basis of the two important categories of economic activities for the district and that for the State as a whole in 1961 [ District Census Handbook, Yeotmal , 1961, p. 49.] :—

"Although the proportion of workers engaged in cultivation is Less in the district than that of the State, the proportion of workers engaged as agricultural labourers is more than double in the district than the State average. For both taken together the district has a much larger proportion than the State average. The proportions of both males and females engaged in agricultural labour are much higher in the district than those of the State average. These larger proportions are due to the land tenures, larger size of holdings and mainly to crop pattern dominated by labour intensive crops like cotton." [ District Census Handbook, Yeotmal District, 1961, p. 49.]

"The proportions of cultivators and agricultural labourers differ considerably from taluka to taluka. The proportion of cultivators varies between 26.68 per cent for Yeotmal taluka and 42.26 per cent for Wani taluka. The proportion for agricultural labourers varies from 40.68 per cent in Wani taluka to 56.23 per cent in Darwha taluka. Such wide variations within the district are due to the differences in the fertility of soils and resulting cropping and land holding patterns. Talukas with larger areas under cotton have larger proportions of agricultural labourers." [ District Census Handbook, 1961, p. 51.]

TOP