Agricultural Technology and Employment in India-A Survey of Recent Research

This paper presents a survey of recent literature on the impact of various components of technology on employment in Indian agriculture. The effect of HYV technology (HYV seeds, chemical fertiliser, irrigation) and mechanisation (tractors, combine harvesters, etc) on employment is reviewed separately for crop production over the year and for individual crops. An attempt is made to identify the impact of technology on employment of labour according to size of holding, composition of labour (family/hired, male/female) and seasonality Labour absorption in allied agricultural and non-agricultural activities is also explored. This is followed by an attempt to analyse the links between the growth of agricultural output and employment.