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Agriculture remains the backbone of India’s economy, employing a larger portion of the population. Despite the sector’s importance, many people working on farms face harsh realities.
Female participation in agriculture has risen from 73.2% in 2017–18 to 76.9% in 2023–24, while male participation has declined from 55.0% to 49.4% during the same period. The problem of agricultural labour in India is complex and multifaceted, touching on economic, social, and legal aspects.
This blog covers the nature of agricultural labour, the factors causing poor working conditions, the problems labourers face, and the responses aimed at improving their situation.
What is Agricultural Labour?
Agricultural labour refers to those who perform manual or physical work on farms. This includes sowing, weeding, harvesting, animal husbandry, irrigation, and other farm-related tasks.
These workers often do not own land and depend on wages for survival.
In India, agricultural labourers can be:
Attached labourers: Workers who are tied to a particular landowner, often through informal arrangements.
Casual labourers: Hired on a daily or seasonal basis.
Family labour: Family members working on the land they or their relatives own.
Agricultural labour is generally low-paid and insecure, which shapes many of the difficulties these workers face.
What are the Characteristics of Indian Agriculture?
Indian agriculture presents a unique set of structural and operational features that directly influence labour dynamics and working conditions:
Small and Fragmented Landholdings
A majority of Indian farmers operate on less than 2 hectares of land. This limits economies of scale and makes it harder to adopt large-scale mechanised solutions.
As a result, the demand for manual labour remains high, especially for planting, weeding, and harvesting.
Seasonal Employment Patterns
Agricultural activities follow the cropping calendar. Labour demand fluctuates sharply between peak and lean seasons.
Workers often experience long periods of underemployment or joblessness, contributing to unstable incomes and migration to urban areas during off-seasons.
Limited Mechanisation
Machinery use remains low in many regions, especially those with uneven terrain or small plots. Tasks such as tilling, sowing, irrigation, and spraying are often carried out manually.
This raises the labour intensity of agriculture and increases health risks due to exposure to chemicals and harsh working conditions.
Dependence on Monsoon
Irrigation facilities are unevenly distributed, and a large portion of farming still depends on rainfall. In years of poor or delayed monsoons, crop productivity and labour opportunities decline.
This dependency introduces a high level of uncertainty for both farmers and workers.
Informality in Work Arrangements
Agricultural labour is usually arranged through verbal agreements or local contractors. Most workers lack job contracts, written wage agreements, or grievance mechanisms.
This informality leads to wage inconsistencies and makes it harder to claim legal rights or social protections.
Pervasive Rural Poverty
Labourers often come from historically disadvantaged castes or tribes, with limited education and few options outside agriculture.
This socioeconomic background restricts their bargaining power and increases their vulnerability to exploitation.
Also Read: Uses and Benefits of Drones in Agriculture - Leher
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These features, rooted in structure, policy, and geography, form the backdrop against which labour challenges unfold in Indian agriculture.
What are the Factors Responsible for the Poor Conditions of Agricultural Labourers?
Several underlying factors of the problem of agriculture labour in India keep agricultural labourers under challenging conditions:
Landlessness and Small Holdings: Most agricultural labourers do not own land or have access to enough land to sustain themselves. Landowners control resources, and labourers remain dependent on daily wages.
Lack of Education and Skills: Many labourers have low education levels and limited skills beyond farm work, restricting alternative job opportunities and bargaining power.
Informal Employment: Work is often casual or seasonal, with no formal contracts or job security. This causes income volatility and exploitation risks.
Socioeconomic Marginalisation: Labourers often belong to lower castes or tribal communities, facing social discrimination that limits access to services and justice.
Absence of Organised Labour Rights: Lack of unionisation or collective bargaining leaves labourers vulnerable to wage suppression and poor working conditions.
Inadequate Legal Enforcement: While laws exist to protect labourers, enforcement is weak in rural areas, and workers are often unaware of their rights.
Agricultural Seasonality: Work peaks around sowing and harvesting but is scarce at other times, leading to underemployment or migration.
What are the Problems of Agriculture Labour in India?
Agricultural labourers in India deal with a range of difficulties that often overlap and worsen each other:
Marginalisation and Societal Disadvantages
Many farm workers come from historically disadvantaged communities. Their social status often limits their access to education, medical care, land rights, and legal protection.
In rural areas, workplace discrimination and social exclusion remain common, restricting their ability to improve living conditions.
Low Wages and Unstable Earnings
Farm work tends to offer lower daily pay compared to other sectors. In some areas, workers still receive compensation in the form of grain or meals instead of cash, making it difficult to cover basic needs or plan for the future.
Earnings vary by region, crop season, and worker background, contributing to economic insecurity.
Irregular Work and Seasonal Dependence
Agriculture is seasonal, which means that jobs are not available year-round. During planting and harvest times, there may be a surge in demand for labour, but off-seasons often bring long periods of unemployment.
This forces many workers to seek temporary jobs in cities or live on minimal incomes during lean periods.
Child Labour in Farms
In poorer households, children often assist in farm work to increase the family’s income. This affects school attendance and long-term learning.
Despite laws banning child labour, it continues, especially in informal settings where enforcement is weak.
Lack of Safety Nets
Many labourers do not have access to formal welfare systems. Health insurance, pensions, and accident compensation are rarely available, especially for those without contracts.
Due to illness or injury, families often fall into debt or lose income entirely.
Difficult Working Conditions
Field labour is physically demanding and carried out under extreme heat, cold, or rain. Workers often operate without gloves, masks, or safety gear, even when handling chemicals like pesticides. This raises risks of illness, injury, and long-term health issues.
Challenges Faced by Women Workers
Women make up a large share of the rural workforce but are often paid less than men for the same tasks.
Their work is frequently unrecognised and unpaid, especially in family farms. Legal protections for women workers are limited, and sexual harassment or exploitation may go unreported.
By automating heavy tasks with drones, Leher reduces the need for manual labour, reducing health risks, child labour, and gender-based exploitation. Its Drone Partner Program empowers rural youth with income opportunities, offering financial support, training, and digital tools to bridge employment gaps and increase dignity at work.
The problems faced by agricultural labourers in India are deeply rooted in social, economic, and structural issues. Irregular employment, low pay, poor working conditions, and lack of legal protection continue to affect their well-being.
While various government schemes and legal frameworks exist, many workers remain outside their reach due to limited awareness or weak enforcement.
How to Resolve the Problem of Agricultural Labour in India?
Improving the conditions of agricultural labourers in India requires sustained efforts across social, economic, and policy dimensions:
Strengthening Land Rights and Access
Expanding land ownership opportunities or securing tenancy arrangements can help labourers gain greater control over their livelihoods, reduce exploitation, and increase income stability.
Example: SEWA Bharat works to empower women informal workers by enhancing their awareness of land rights and improving access to infrastructure facilities.
Education and Skill Development
Basic education and training in agriculture-related or alternative trades open up additional income-generating options. Awareness campaigns also help workers understand their rights and available support schemes.
Example: The Skill Development Centre at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) offers training programs to equip youth, women, and farmers with entrepreneurial skills in agriculture and allied sectors.
Formalising Employment
Moving from informal verbal agreements to written contracts and establishing structured wage practices can reduce wage disputes and provide more predictable working conditions.
Example: According to Vikaspedia, formalising the informal sector involves establishing written contracts and predefined labor conditions, which can reduce wage disputes and provide more predictable working conditions for agricultural workers.
Also Read: Top Agriculture Drone Pilot Jobs in India - leher.ag
Promoting Social Inclusion
Community-based initiatives that counter caste- or gender-based exclusion, such as inclusive self-help groups and service access programs, can bridge long-standing social divides.
Example: Self-help groups (SHGs) in India have been instrumental in promoting women's empowerment in agriculture by providing access to information and facilitating the adoption of sustainable farming practices.
Organising Labour
Supporting local unions, cooperatives, or labour collectives allows workers to negotiate better wages and working conditions collectively, especially in areas where individual bargaining power is low.
Example: The Rural Labour cooperatives offer agricultural laborers better motivation and opportunities compared to traditional trade unions, enabling them to collectively negotiate for improved wages and working conditions.
Legal Reforms and Enforcement
Labour-related laws exist but are often poorly applied. Stronger monitoring, grievance redressal systems, and simplified legal access mechanisms can increase accountability.
Example: India's labor legislation system operates through a federal structure, with the country having ratified the Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards) Convention, 1976 (No. 144), to aid effective enforcement of labor laws.
Diversifying Rural Economy
Development of allied sectors like food processing, handicrafts, or eco-tourism can offer alternatives to seasonal farm work and reduce economic stress during lean periods.
Example: Rural tourism provides a sustainable alternative by fostering a service-based economy that complements existing livelihoods, preserves cultural heritage, and drives local economic growth.
Addressing Child Labour
Combining school support programs, midday meals, and targeted family assistance can reduce the economic pressure that drives children into agricultural work.
Example: Programs like the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in India have been effective in reducing child labor by providing incentives for children to attend school, thereby alleviating the economic pressure on families.
Gender-Sensitive Policies
Fair wage practices, maternity support, access to sanitation at work sites, and initiatives focused on female-headed households improve women workers' status and well-being.
Example: Despite women constituting a significant portion of the agricultural workforce in India, land ownership remains deeply gendered. Initiatives aimed at enhancing women's access to land and resources are crucial for improving their status and well-being.
Leher directly supports agricultural labour reform by reducing manual spraying needs and improving farm efficiency. Leher's drone spraying services save up to 90% water, reduce input use by 40%, and cut spraying costs by 20%, making agriculture safer and more sustainable for both farmers and workers.
Collectively, these steps can support more stable, equitable, and resilient livelihoods for India’s rural workforce.
What are the Government Responses and Initiatives?
In response to the persistent problem of agriculture labour in India, various policies and programs have been introduced to improve working conditions, provide income support, and widen access to basic rights and services:
This act offers rural households up to 100 days of paid manual work annually. It helps reduce overdependence on seasonal farm labour by offering alternative sources of income during lean periods.
This law establishes wage thresholds for different categories of workers, including agriculture workers. Although state governments periodically revise the rates, inconsistent enforcement and limited awareness among workers can weaken its impact.
NRLM works through self-help groups to build rural incomes and promote micro-enterprises. By creating access to financial services and local job opportunities, the program helps rural families diversify their sources of livelihood.
While primarily aimed at landholding farmers, this income support scheme indirectly supports families that depend on small-scale agriculture, which often includes labourers who cultivate small plots of land.
Social Security Initiatives
Schemes such as the Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) Welfare Programs offer health insurance, pension support, and accident benefits. Some state-level programs extend similar benefits to informal sector farm workers, though coverage is uneven.
This act restricts the employment of children in hazardous sectors, including specific agricultural tasks. It also provides a framework for rehabilitation and access to education for rescued children.
Skill Development and Training Programs
Schemes under the Skill India mission and agricultural training institutes aim to equip rural youth and farm workers with technical knowledge. This helps them adapt to changing agricultural practices or take up allied activities like animal husbandry, fisheries, or mechanised services.
While these efforts offer structural support, practical hurdles remain. Many eligible workers are not enrolled in the programs due to documentation issues, lack of awareness, or administrative delays.
Strengthening local outreach and improving coordination between departments are frequently discussed areas of improvement.
How Leher Can Help You With Agricultural Labour?
The problem of agriculture labour in India is slowing down productivity across the country, whether it’s the rising cost of farmhands, seasonal unavailability, or the physically demanding nature of fieldwork.
Leher is helping farmers overcome these hurdles with automation, digital access, and precision technology, empowering them to do more with fewer hands.
Reduce Labour Dependency with Drones: Manual spraying is time-consuming and labour-intensive. With Leher’s Drone-as-a-Service, one drone can cover 50 acres in a day, eliminating the need for large spray teams and reducing labour costs by up to 20%.
Address Labour Shortages During Peak Seasons: Finding workers is tough during harvest or pest outbreaks. Leher’s on-demand drone service ensures farmers don’t have to wait. Just book a drone through the app or WhatsApp, and spraying starts on time, every time.
Reduce Health Risks to Labourers: Manual pesticide application exposes workers to harmful chemicals. Drones keep humans out of harm’s way by spraying from above, a safer, smarter option for your team.
Boost Efficiency of Small Labour Teams: Leher helps you get more done even with fewer workers. Drones speed up spraying, monitoring, and scouting, cutting field time by hours. Your team can now focus on tasks that require manual care, like harvesting or transplanting.
Training and Upskilling Opportunities: Leher also offers a Drone Partner Program, where rural youth and farmers can become certified drone operators. This opens up new income opportunities while addressing local service gaps, turning labour shortages into tech-driven jobs.
Affordable Access Without Buying Equipment: There is no need to buy expensive machines or hire full-time operators. Leher’s model offers pay-per-use services with transparent pricing, making advanced farm labour solutions affordable for even smallholders.
India’s farms face a labour crisis, but Leher’s technology gives farmers a way out. Leher provides fewer workers needed for routine tasks, lower labour costs, healthier, more productive teams, and digital access to skilled services.
Schedule a free call with our experts, and download the Leher app from the Play Store and Apple Store today.
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