Prahlad K. Thapa
Vegetable Development Directorate, Khumaltar, Lalitpur, Nepal
Agnes C. Rola
Institute of Strategic Planning and Policy Studies, CPA, UPLB, Philippines

DOI

ABSTRACT

It has been reported that farmers opt vegetable seed production to give employment to underemployed family labor. If so, then how does it compare with the other competing crops? This information is needed to identify the relative importance of the crops in generating employment. This study has attempted to bridge these information gaps in the contractual vegetable seed production program in Nepal. Labor employment pattern was evaluated in terms of total employment and simultaneously determined male and female labor employment models. It was found that variables like manure, staking and irrigation, and bullock were positively significant in determining total labor employment per ropani. The price of labor was negatively significant. A significantly lower level of employment was also found when micronutrient deficiency appeared on the standing crop. The results of the simultaneous model show that male and female labor employment were not substitutes of each other but were rather complementary. It implies that employment of both types of labor was simultaneously increased in the production program. In the labor-surplus subsistence farming, the marginal value product of labor did not determine the use of labor. This implies that the study area is mainly characterized by subsistence farming. The labor employment ratio between competing crop and vegetable seed production was 1:1:63 and 1:5:33 for family and hired labor, respectively. This reflects the role of vegetable seed