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N. Lalitha
4.1.1 Socio-Economic Profile of the Farmers
Agricultural income is the only major source of livelihood for 65% of the farmers,
while 31 and 4% of the farmers had 1 and 2 more sources of income, respectively.
Income from agriculture constitutes 84% of Rs. 33,002,020, which is income from
all sources. Farmers also realised income from trade and business (4.7%), public
services (3.5%), private sector (1.84%), pension (0.06%) and livestock (5%). These
171 farmers were cultivating mango in 353.9 ha, where 80% of the farmers belong to
the small holding category with 52% of the total land. Nineteen percent are medium
landholders with 44% of the land and one large landholder holds the remaining land.
Ninety-nine percent of the area is under traditional type of mango cultivation. In the
traditional type of cultivation, the distance between the trees is more than 8 feet.
Except for five farmers who have leased in 5.1% (18.45 ha) of the total land under
traditional mango cultivation, the rest are all cultivating mango in their own land only.
All the farmers had access to water. Fifty-one per cent or 85 farmers have borewell
and 145 (86%) have well. Thirty-four per cent had both well and borewell. Only 3%
of the total 171 farmers use drip irrigation.
Mango cultivation offers a variety of employment for both male and female workers. Hired labourers are involved in cleaning the garden, creating rings around the
trees, irrigation, weeding, application of fertilisers and pesticides, harvesting, sorting
and grading, packaging and transporting the produce to the market. All farmers for
all the farm operations reported a total labour days of 22,736. Male labourers account
for 72% of the total labour days. Male workers are exclusively engaged in pruning,
drip irrigation, sprays for pesticide/fungicide, sorting, grading and transportation.
Except weeding, which is done exclusively by females, all other jobs are done by
male labourers. The wages for the men and women ranged from Rs. 250 to Rs. 400
for different operations.
Taken together, the farmers had realised a total production of 737.4 tonnes of
mango in 2017–18, reporting a yield of 2.82 tonne per hectare. This has resulted in
a total income of Rs. 28,370,072 or a per hectare gross income of Rs. 83,173.98.
The total cost of cultivation in mango farming as reported by the farmers to be
Rs. 50,850.52 per hectare, yielding a net income of Rs. 32,323.46 per hectare. Given
the fact that these calculations considered only the paid out costs and not imputed
the charges for the family labour, it is a precarious situation for the cultivators. In
addition, since majority are small farmers, the income from farming has an important
role in their livelihoods.
4.1.2 Awareness of the Importance of Climate and Natural Factors
In the horticultural sector in general and in mango cultivation particularly, the climate/natural factors play a crucial role in determining the quantity and the quality
of the produce. The Gir Kesar area being near the coastal region, climatic changes
have been affecting the yield. While the climatic factors delayed the flowering, fruit
bearing nature of the tree and the kind of pests and insects that thrive on these trees,
N. Lalitha
4.1.1 Socio-Economic Profile of the Farmers
Agricultural income is the only major source of livelihood for 65% of the farmers,
while 31 and 4% of the farmers had 1 and 2 more sources of income, respectively.
Income from agriculture constitutes 84% of Rs. 33,002,020, which is income from
all sources. Farmers also realised income from trade and business (4.7%), public
services (3.5%), private sector (1.84%), pension (0.06%) and livestock (5%). These
171 farmers were cultivating mango in 353.9 ha, where 80% of the farmers belong to
the small holding category with 52% of the total land. Nineteen percent are medium
landholders with 44% of the land and one large landholder holds the remaining land.
Ninety-nine percent of the area is under traditional type of mango cultivation. In the
traditional type of cultivation, the distance between the trees is more than 8 feet.
Except for five farmers who have leased in 5.1% (18.45 ha) of the total land under
traditional mango cultivation, the rest are all cultivating mango in their own land only.
All the farmers had access to water. Fifty-one per cent or 85 farmers have borewell
and 145 (86%) have well. Thirty-four per cent had both well and borewell. Only 3%
of the total 171 farmers use drip irrigation.
Mango cultivation offers a variety of employment for both male and female workers. Hired labourers are involved in cleaning the garden, creating rings around the
trees, irrigation, weeding, application of fertilisers and pesticides, harvesting, sorting
and grading, packaging and transporting the produce to the market. All farmers for
all the farm operations reported a total labour days of 22,736. Male labourers account
for 72% of the total labour days. Male workers are exclusively engaged in pruning,
drip irrigation, sprays for pesticide/fungicide, sorting, grading and transportation.
Except weeding, which is done exclusively by females, all other jobs are done by
male labourers. The wages for the men and women ranged from Rs. 250 to Rs. 400
for different operations.
Taken together, the farmers had realised a total production of 737.4 tonnes of
mango in 2017–18, reporting a yield of 2.82 tonne per hectare. This has resulted in
a total income of Rs. 28,370,072 or a per hectare gross income of Rs. 83,173.98.
The total cost of cultivation in mango farming as reported by the farmers to be
Rs. 50,850.52 per hectare, yielding a net income of Rs. 32,323.46 per hectare. Given
the fact that these calculations considered only the paid out costs and not imputed
the charges for the family labour, it is a precarious situation for the cultivators. In
addition, since majority are small farmers, the income from farming has an important
role in their livelihoods.
4.1.2 Awareness of the Importance of Climate and Natural Factors
In the horticultural sector in general and in mango cultivation particularly, the climate/natural factors play a crucial role in determining the quantity and the quality
of the produce. The Gir Kesar area being near the coastal region, climatic changes
have been affecting the yield. While the climatic factors delayed the flowering, fruit
bearing nature of the tree and the kind of pests and insects that thrive on these trees,