Rice is the staple food crop for most of the world's poor. In India, rice production is the dominant component in the agricultural sector and it is grown over two seasons on 42 million ha. The national Government has invested enormous resources in theresearch, development, and dissemination of technologies concerned with improving rice production.Agricultural practices in rice production are changing in India, driven by the rapid pace of economic development. Rice cultivation is labour-intensive, particularly at certain periods in the production cycle, such as transplanting and harvesting. However, with a booming economy and increasing urbanisation there is considerable demand for unskilled labourers in construction and other industries where they receive better and more regular employment than in rice-based agriculture. This has resulted in anoverall shortage of labour in rice-producing areas that adversely affects both marginal and larger-scale farmers. The shortage of labour has intensified the urgency for strategic inputs, including improved pest-management strategies, that would enable poor rice farmers to sustain their livelihoods.
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