Thanjavur Off the Beaten Path Tips by cadzand

During out trip through the South of India, harvesting season was as its height. Along the roads we crossed many farmers helped by family or local co-workers. No big tractors doing the hard job, everything is manual labour.

Agriculture in India is the means of livelihood of almost two thirds of the work force in the country. It has always been India's most important economic sector.

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After having cut the wheat in the field, its is laid down on the narrow streets. Cars, trucks and buses passing by, drive upon the wheat in order to separate the wheat from the wheat-straw. As I said, no expensive machines are needed to do the good job :))

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In order to separate further more the wheat from the small wheat-straw remainings, it is tossed up in the air. The wheat grains fall down on the street, while the straw remainings are carried by the wind.

The increase in food-grain production has been brought about by bringing additional area under cultivation, extension of irrigation facilities, use of better seeds, better techniques, more fertilizer, water management, and plant protection.
The monsoons, however, play a critical role in Indian agriculture in determining whether the harvest will be bountiful, average, or poor in any given year. Although increased irrigation has helped to lessen year-to-year fluctuations in farm production resulting from the vagaries of the monsoons, it has not eliminated those fluctuations.

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