Purpose: This article analyses how an initiative on farm mechanisation by a local government in Kerala in South India evolved into a formal organisation that provides sustainable livelihood options to women and small and marginal farmers and revived the rice production system. Design/methodology/approach: The study followed the case analysis…

Child labour in India has long been the focus of research, policy concern and intervention. This article presents an analysis of children's involvement in agricultural work, particularly cottonseed production, drawing on evidence gathered for Young Lives in 2007 and 2008. In parts of Andhra Pradesh, children work in cotton fields for two or three…

Seasonal migration for work by poor rural families is a phenomenon that is escalating as the agrarian crisis mounts. Millions of families that migrate are compelled to take their children along, leaving school and a normal childhood behind. They spend several months every year at work sites such as brick kilns, salt pans, plantations and stone…

Argues that agriculture production in developing nations should be organized to ensure economic viability. Government policy must emphasize participants' productive capacities and integrate agricultural workers into the new organization of production. (Author/DB)

Immigration and domestic industrial policies have been powerful instruments in the creation of immigrant "niches" in labor markets. While Indians have clustered in the information technology industry, Mexicans have formed niches in low-skilled industries such as agriculture. A review of the relationship between immigration policy and the…

A description is presented of the Farmers' Functional Literacy Project, a component of the integrated program of Farmers' Training and Functional Literacy. The project consisted of three regional workshops and a national workshop. The regional workshops were organized to allow officers to review progress and prospects of the programs, exchange…

This paper attempts to describe the principles on which a Polyvalent Adult Education Center is based, its purposes, its functions, and organization, as well as its operations. It has been written with urban communities in mind. The point is made that the existing provisions for adult education are inadequate to meet the growing and diverse needs.…

An attempt to estimate the growth of literacy in India in the next 20 years is presented. Consideration is taken of existing facilities and the likely increase of present literacy programs. The point is made that the expansion of primary education was mainly responsible for the growth of literacy in the country. Estimates presented are based on…

Many developing nations are engaged in efforts to transform the traditional agricultural sectors of their economies into modern forms that are more closely linked to the national economy and the export market. Almost universally, the traditional rights to land of the indigenous populations are ignored. The 12 essays in this book examine the…

A descriptive account of the organization and working of the Sharmik Vidyapeeth (Polyvalent Adult Education Centre) in Bombay, India, is presented. The purpose of the development of this center was to plan and develop integrated educational and training courses of various durations for workers and prospective workers. The centers were set up in…

An attempt to integrate socioeconomic development with literacy through nonformal education programs in Kerala, India, involved illiterate and semi-literate adults (1050 men, 450 women) in two pilot literacy projects organized by the Sanghom (library organization), Mitraniketan, and state government. Two literacy primers were developed, using an…

This book contains a comparative survey of efforts to organize female workers in trade unions in both developing and industrialized nations and 19 case studies of efforts to organize female workers in selected occupations. The following papers are included: "A Comparative Survey" (Swasti Mitter); "The Union of Women Domestic…