LIVELIHOOD INSECURITY AMONG AGRICULTURAL LABOURERS IN TAMIL NADU – A SOCIO-ECONOMIC LEGAL PERSPECTIVES “AGRICULTURALIST AVOIDING FARMING MAKES EVEN SAGES SUFFER” 
https://doi.org/10.65725/JCMCE/2/3/012
JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY TRENDS IN MANAGEMENT, COMMERCE AND ECONOMICS (JCMCE)
ISSN: 3108-3501
Volume 2 Issue 3, July -September 2026
Abstract:
Agricultural laborers are one of the most socially marginalized and economically vulnerable groups in Tamil Nadu, despite the state not being as underdeveloped as the rest of the country, in terms of industrial and economic development. The objective of this study is to analyse the socio-economic conditions and livelihood insecurities of agricultural labourers and examine the issues of agricultural labourers’ definition, income instability, employment insecurity, caste inequalities, gender inequalities, and rural economy structural changes. Using the 2011 Census data and National Sample Survey data, it is shown that agricultural labourers are more in number than cultivators, indicating a high degree of landlessness and wage dependence in Tamil Nadu’s skewed agrarian structure. It also shows that urbanization, along with modernization and climate change, has made the situation worse through labor scarcity and greater employment insecurity. Although there are a few welfare measures such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and now VB G-RAM Act, they do very little due to their limited scope and various implementation issues, to provide the rural population with sustainable livelihoods. The paper also argues that the socio-economic deprivation of agricultural labourers is primarily a caste and gender issue in addition to being an economic issue. It thus suggests that the livelihood insecurity of agricultural labourers in Tamil Nadu can be mitigated through sustainable rural development efforts that provide a comprehensive and multi-sectoral approach to rural development, including wage reform, social security, skill development, and stronger rural institutions.
Authors: Dr. R. Elumalai, S. Azhagumalar
Keywords: Agricultural labourers, socio-economic conditions, income instability, seasonal employment, livelihood insecurities.