Tamil Nadu is one of the most urbanised state in India with urban population as high as 48.5% compared to national average of 31%. The effects of high level of urbanisation and industrialisation in Tamil Nadu have impacted the agriculture sector drastically. The dwindling numbers of agriculture labourers and the rising cost of labour without proportionate increase in agricultural income has become a major concern for farmers and is making farming unviable. The crisis is complex as it is inter-twinned with multiple factors like caste oppression, gender, emergence of MGNREGS, agrarian distress and rapid urbanisation. A nuanced breakdown of the issue is necessary to understand the issue and work on solutions.

As per 2011 census, there were 42.5 lakh cultivators and 96 lakh agriculture labourers in Tamil Nadu. Various estimates and study show that the numbers are drastically reducing. As per Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission report, people engaged in agricultural work has declined sharply from 43% in 2012 to 22% in 2024 in the 12 surveyed villages of Tamil Nadu. Within agriculture workers, agriculture labour has declined drastically decreasing from 15.5% to 6.5% while self-cultivation decreased from 5.3% to 4% in the same timeframe. This is starker among youth as 94% of young male workers (20-29 age group) and 84% of young female workers are engaged in non-agricultural work in 2024.

Labour cost accounts for 39% of cultivation expenses of agricultural households in Tamil Nadu. The average monthly income of an agricultural household is Rs 11,924 as per National Sample Survey of which 54% comes from wages and only 22% (i.e. meagre Rs 2623/month) comes from crop production while 17% comes from farming animals.

Reasons for shortage of agricultural labourers

As per a study, low wage rate, discrimination, heavy workload, lack of welfare facilities, unemployment and underemployment, indebtedness were the main reasons for agriculture labour migration in the order of criticality. The average annual earnings of workers in agriculture are far lower as an agricultural labourer earns Rs 37,577/annum, a self-employed worker in agriculture earns Rs 99,400/annum while for non-agricultural labourer it is estimated to be Rs 1.39 lakhs in 2024, in rural Tamil Nadu.

“Farmers who themselves are struggling financially and indebted can’t provide higher wages and continuous employment except during sowing and harvesting,” said Eesan Murugasamy, founder president of Tamil Nadu Farmers' Protection Association. The labour shortage is more near urban and industrial pockets. For example, the agriculture labour population in Coimbatore had come down by almost 50%, between 1971 and 2011. Some farmers even complain about MGNREGS and other social benefit schemes as a cause of labour shortage.

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Moreover, agriculture labourers suffer from various health issues with limited resources for healthcare. As per study on agricultural workers in Chengalpattu district, farm workers frequently suffer from musculoskeletal disorders (knee pain (49%) and back pain (45.8%)), Respiratory problems (42%), Skin problems, Heat fatigue (40.3%) and heat cramps (30%) due to severe working conditions.

Impact of agricultural labour shortage

The cropping pattern in Tamil Nadu has undergone a significant shift from seasonal food crops to commercial monocropping of crops like maize, tapioca, areca, trees etc. during the last decade due to labour shortage and market dynamics. The proportion of area under paddy has dropped to 32% in 2019-20 from 34% in 2010-11 in Tamil Nadu.

The shortage of labour is also leading to poor crop management impacting productivity. Many farmers are increasing the usage of herbicide due to the unavailability of labour for weeding which is affecting the soil, health of the farmers and increasing chemicals in our food.

Farm mechanisation is touted as the way forward but farmers are also facing various issues in availing large scale farm machineries. For example, there is a race among farmers to get combined harvester for harvesting paddy. Village level agents have mushroomed to arrange the harvester to the farmers and are making significant profits.

“Many farmers are struggling to repay the loan taken for buying tractors. Government claims that they have common hiring centres for farm machineries but they are not implemented properly” said Eesan.

Agriculture lands are increasingly left fallow due to unviability of farming, increasing the risk on food security. According to the census, about 8.7 lakh farmers in Tamil Nadu left agriculture from 2001 to 2011.

Seizing the opportunity migrant labourers have started venturing into agriculture labour as well. As per media report, migrant workers mainly from West Bengal and Bihar are involved in paddy transplantation and harvesting as groups. They charge Rs 4,500-5,000 per acre, covering more ground and earning more compared to local labourers who are paid Rs 600 per day for similar work. While young adults are withdrawing from farm work, the proportion of unemployed in Effective Working Age (EWA) population is rising to over 12% in 2021-22 from 3.5% in 2004-05. This indicates that the transition to non-agricultural works has not been fully compensated by commensurate increase in employment in other sectors.

Gender, caste and conflict – intersectional lens

Indian rural society is swamped with caste discrimination and conflicts. The Scheduled Castes, who constitute nearly 20% of Tamil Nadu’s population, account for only 10% of agricultural landowners and possess only 7.8% of the farmland. Historically, the relationship between landholding farmers and landless agricultural labourers (predominantly SC communities or poor from OBC communities) has been exploitative and oppressive.

In many places, agricultural labourers are trapped as illegal bonded labourers due to indebtedness. Various incidences of caste-based exclusion, discrimination and violence have been noted and reported in media. Agricultural labourers especially from SC communities have lived through this generational trauma and want to set free from being agricultural labourers. A nuanced and holistic understanding of intersection of caste and agriculture labour is critical in this discourse of resolving labour crisis problem.

Women who play a crucial role in agriculture undertaking over 60% of the agricultural works are often discriminated and underpaid. According to FAO, 2011, women work longer hours but receive less compensation, mainly due to socio-cultural barriers such as limited access to resources, lower decision-making power, and less legal protection.

According to National Sample Survey, the average daily wage for female agricultural labourers in Tamil Nadu is approximately Rs 250–300, while male labourers earn between Rs 350–450 for similar work. This means that women earn around 25-30% less than men for performing the same tasks.

Unravelling MGNREGS – Is it the root cause?

Many farmers complain that the diversion of agricultural labourers, especially women, to projects under MGNREGS is one of the primary reasons for the shortage of agricultural labour.

Firstly, constitutional guarantee of work for all rural household is a remarkable achievement, implications of which goes beyond just a scheme. It places the mantle of providing consistent employment to rural households on the government.

Secondly, the economic benefits are not as high to abandon other sources of income like agricultural labour. For example, considering 2024-25, the average days of employment provided per household was 46.86 days in Tamil Nadu and average wages were Rs 275.01 which means a household on average received just Rs 12,887/annum.

Thirdly, 85% of the MGNREGS workers in Tamil Nadu are women with the higher representation of Dalits as compared to national average of 56%. Many such socially deprived sections including like elders, disabled are exploited and harassed in the agricultural sector while MGNREGA provides them with dignified employment.

Finally, the employment opportunity and income from MGNREGS have provided a backup option for rural workers and in fact has controlled the out-migration to urban areas to an extent especially in dry land areas and during drought years. Thus, the allegation of farmers on MGNREGS are exaggerated.

However, there are some issues with MGNREGS as well mainly in the execution of the scheme. “We must educate more gram panchayat presidents and people to undertake project useful for their village. The period for MGNREGS work should not overlap with the main agricultural work periods. There are success models of effective implementation of MGNREGS in various gram panchayats across Tamil Nadu” said Nandakumar Shiva, vice-president of Thannatchi, an NGO working for the rights of local bodies.

Similarly, Eesan said, “We demand increasing the number of days of employment to 300 days and to expand the scope of work to farm works as well. The active labourers can be employed to do farm work with farmers providing half the wages.”

Alternative approaches and way forward

Tamil Nadu is becoming increasingly urbanised and industrialised and thus the agriculture labour issue is here to stay. There is need for reforms and innovations both at policy and ground level.

Firstly, a comprehensive study needs to be commissioned by the state government to holistically understand the issue and develop region specific and crop specific recommendations. Pilots should be conducted based on the recommendations and a time-bound action plan should be developed.

Recommendations for addressing the agricultural labour crisis:

• Agricultural labour welfare and social security: Strict enforcement of minimum wage laws, anti-discrimination and labour welfare laws for both local and migrant agricultural workers. “Our farmers’ association demands providing ID cards, old age pension and social security schemes like housing to all agricultural labourers.” said Eesan.
• Small-scale farm mechanisation: As farm mechanisation is becoming inevitable, research and development should focus on small-scale farm mechanisation suitable for small and marginal farmers and women farmers/labourers. The availability and subsidy for small-scale farm machineries should be increased multi-fold especially for weeding.
• Formation of trained labour groups/clubs: Agricultural labourers in a village can be collectivised as Labour groups/clubs to develop them into self-employed agricultural service providers with appropriate trainings. The Food Security Army programme piloted in Thrissur district, Kerala in 2010s can be adapted to Tamil Nadu’s context and replicated.
• Auxiliary livelihood support for agricultural labourers: Agricultural labourers should be supported with additional auxiliary livelihood opportunities like livestock rearing, bee keeping, local organic input production etc. as they will not get continuous farm work throughout the year.
• Labour exchange among land owners: Small and marginal farmers can form collectives and undertake labour sharing among themselves which ensures reduced expenses and labour scarcity. Over 66% of the farmers in Bhutan use labour exchange while Deccan Development Society, has developed such a model  with women groups collectivised as Sanghams in Telangana.
• Land distribution: Cultivable fallow land should be leased to interested landless farmers and labourers to ensure food and nutrition security. Models for this developed by Tamil Nadu women’s collective can be replicated across the state. The pending land reforms like allotment of Panchami land should be resolved and completed.

Karthik Gunasekar is an agriculture researcher and co-founder of Aram Thinai, an organisation working on the intersections of climate change with local livelihoods and urban marginalisation

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