Labor use and productivity in peasant agriculture in Sri Lanka, 1963-1971

Abstract

Employment generation is an important policy goal of the Government of Sri Lanka with agriculture continuing to be the dominant sector in the economy, both in terms of production and employment. An analysis of the labour utilisation pattern in the vital food producing sub-sector and the technical conditions associated with it is an important aspect for exploring the potential for greater employment opportunities in the agricultural sector. With this intention, this study investigates the levels and trends in the growth of output and employment in the food producing sub-sector, mainly in paddy production during the period 1963-1971. The macro aspects of employment in paddy production is investigated using growth rate analysis and the change in levels of selected variables during the period considered. The relation between productivity of land, manpower employed and input usage is examined along with the possible substitution - complementarity effects between labour and a few selected modern inputs using correlation and multiple regression techniques. The study is extended to the micro-level labour use pattern using farm survey data of an irrigated paddy scheme. The relevance of the macro-level determinants of employment is analysed in the context of the micro-level total labour use in farms taking into consideration the mode of employment as well. The study, aimed mainly at providing an insight into the macro-level and micro-level labour use pattern in paddy production in Sri Lanka concludes with the possible implications and limitations of the study.