Field Reporting on the Working of Schemes Relating to Small Farmers in Famine Affected Districts of Western Rajasthan

Abstract

This study was taken up under this Organisation's programme of 'periodical field reporting'. The field work on this study was initiated in March,1970 and completed in July,1970. The purpose of this study was to examine specific problems of small farmers affected by famine and scarcity conditions and to examine the extent of benefits -derived by them as a result of relief measures taken by official and non-official agencies. The study was conducted in four districts viz., Ajmer, Nagpur, Jodhpur and Sirohi where cultivators with smalL-sized holdings in intensively affected blocks and villages by scarcity conditions were selected. It was found that the small farmers had not been able to utilise benefits of relief measures due to their uneconomic size of holdings and low levels of income. Major problems which continued in the areas were lack of water & finance besides small size of their holdings.