Most of the people of Tamil Nadu depended on agriculture at the time of independence and even 40 years after it. That situation is changing: according to the 2011 census, both the number of farmers and the number of agricultural workers in Tamil Nadu have fallen over the last 10 years. This chapter looks at who works in agriculture, how land is used, the water resources for farming, the crops grown and their productivity.
1. People Involved in Agriculture
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Workers in agriculture, 2001 census | 49.3% of all workers |
| Workers in agriculture, ten years later | 42.1% |
| Total workers in 2011 | Three crore 29 lakh, of whom 96 lakh were agricultural workers |
| Women in agriculture, 2011 | Nearly 55% |
| Men in agriculture, 2011 | Nearly one third (35.3%) |