MSc

The study entitled “Indigenous agricultural practices in rice farming by tribal and non-tribal agricultural labourers and farmers in Wayanad district: A Comparative analysis” was conducted at Wayanad in three grama panchayaths having maximum tribal population, namely Kottathara, Noolpuzha, Thirunelly covering 150 respondents with 50 respondents(20 tribal labourers, 20 non-tribal labourers and 10 farmers) from each selected panchayath. The objectives of the study were to identify and document indigenous agricultural practices and study its scale of practice by tribal and non-tribal agriculture labourers and farmers. Their work participation, social participation, media utilization, profile characteristics and constraints were also studied.
It was found that 100 per cent respondents of three groups had been adopting the practices like harvesting is usually done after 7-8 days from the new moon day and seeds are dried in sunshine and at night for 7 days.
On the analysis of data, it was found that that majority (59 per cent) of the tribal labourers were having medium scale of practice of indigenous agricultural practices. In the case of non-tribal labourers most of them (47 per cent) had low scale of practice, whereas 40 per cent of the farmers had high scale of practice. The work participation was high among tribal labourers (72 per cent) followed by non-tribal labourers (57 per cent) and farmers had low work participation (67per cent). Majority of the tribal labourers possess a low social participation (70 per cent).
In the case of profile characteristics of the tribal labourers it was found that more than half of tribal people (52 per cent) were from the middle age group, 60 per cent of them were illiterate, the majority of the tribal labourers (85 per cent) had three to six members in their family, 56 per cent of the tribal labourers received low level of income, more than 50 per cent of the tribal labourers’ possessed land less than or equal to five cents, 70 per cent of the tribal labourers consumes alcohol, 73 per cent of the tribal labourers had medium level access to common property resources, 48 per cent of the tribal labourers had high environmental orientation, 38
per cent of the tribal labourers had low level of political orientation, that majority of the tribal labourers (73 per cent) were with optimal body weight, majority of the tribal labourers (70 per cent) had less media utilization, and that 67 per cent of the tribal labourers had low cosmopoliteness.
Results of canonical correlation emphasize that for tribal labourers their work participation, social participation, and scale of practice of indigenous agricultural practices were the important dependent variables. Independent variables such as income, educational status, political orientation, media utilization, anthropometric measurement, and cosmopoliteness were found to be significance to them. Evaluating the canonical correlation results of nontribal labourers it could be understood that social participation is major dependent variable. Age, monthly income, alcoholism, and environmental orientation were the important independent variables. Examining the canonical correlation results of farmers it was found that, scale of practice of indigenous practice was the important dependent variable. Age, alcoholism, media utilization, and cosmopoliteness were the important independent variables.
Important constraints faced by the tribal and non-tribal labourers were less wage rate, few labour days, high cost of living, most of the farmers were reluctant to do rice farming.Labour shortage, animal menace, high wage rate, shortage of quality inputs, reluctant from the part of even skilled labourers to work in the field etc., were the major constraints faced by the farmers.
From the findings it can be concluded that tribal labourers were the most ostracized, subjugated, and socially excluded category in Wayanad district. Farmers had high scale of practice followed by tribal and nontribal labourers respectively. Even though they were rich in labour skill and experience they had been exploited by the other communities. Living standard of them was not upto the mark. Illiteracy, alcoholism, ownership rights of the land, health issues etc., were the important issues faced by them. It was found that they had high work participation and medium level of scale of practice. Social participation was found to be low compared to non-tribal labourers and farmers.