Young people have left for cities and factories, and I struggle every year to find hands. What are realistic ways to cope with this labour shortage?
3 Answers
Labour shortage is real across most of India and there is no single fix, you combine several. First, mechanise the most labour heavy operations one at a time, usually land preparation, sowing, weeding and harvesting give the biggest savings; use a custom hiring centre or rent machines if you cannot buy. Second, switch some operations to methods that need fewer hands, for example seed drills instead of hand broadcasting, herbicide based weed control where suitable, and combine harvesting for cereals. Third, secure your labour relationship by booking a contractor and migrant gangs early with advances, and by being a fair, reliable employer people want to return to. Fourth, look at crop and variety choices, picking varieties that mature together or suit machine harvest reduces peak labour need. Fifth, pool labour and machinery with neighbouring farmers. Treat labour planning as a fixed part of your crop plan, not an afterthought.
I bought a small power weeder on subsidy and it removed my biggest headache, the weeding labour. One machine does what four people used to do.
We farmers in our cluster formed a small group and rent machines together from the custom hiring centre. Sharing makes it affordable even for small holdings.