Section - XIII - The labour calculations

Additional employment assistance for on farm activities

In order to facilitate the transition to LEISA and organic vegetable production on farm, work based on local labour and material is required for a period of 2-3 years. This consists mainly of regeneration of soil, Land shaping (contours & bunds), Planting Trees on bunds establishing, Rows of shrubs (alley cropping) in a wider area.

These set of activities are in fact are the asset building processes. (In principle NREG act is focused on creating permanent assets) These set of activities are not covered in the present NREG Act provisions.

The assistance can be withdrawn when the desired level of productivity and water use efficiency is achieved and the vegetation is established. The assistance of this category is also needed for the land entitled to the women for growing perennial fruit trees (4-6 gunthas per woman).




This is equivalent of 20 women whose additional EGA works out to 20 x 60 x 100 days for 2 years period i.e. Rs 240,000.

The above expenditure has a very favourable benefit cost ratio. The income generation (as explained later is Rs 150,000 per year) realised mainly from enhancement of productivity of degraded land and water use efficiency for limited irrigation in poorly endowed rainfed areas.

Effect: The capital output ratio is as good as 2:1 for the employment assistance to resource poor households for whom it is generally believed that the wages do not generate incomes sufficient to justify the expenditure.

Some Inconsistencies

There are some inconsistencies still in this data.

1. The Labour calculations for the 1.2 Ha of the fruit trees is taken into account but does not come under the initial 10 Ha of land

2. The Labour calculations for the 15 Ha Bio-energy / Bio-fuel area is not considered which would extend the above calculations for another 2-3 years