Self-Reliant Farming and Employment Opportunities for Migrant Workers Relating COVID-19 Post-Pandemic

Abstract

There has been an unprecedented crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The human witnessed significant changes in all spheres of activities in the society. There was complete, partial or intermittent lockdown all over the world to contain this infectious virus. People confined themselves mostly at home, and about 60% of economic activities was disrupted. The growth in the economy slowed down. Millions of international and internal migrant workers returned to their place of origin and again resuming works. To return to the economic normalcy, challenges would be to cope up with problems of migrant workers, protecting their livelihoods and providing income through employment to avert destabilizing effects. There is a need for strategic approaches and effective policies to strengthen self-sufficiency and self-reliance among returnees, and the farmers with the support of the Government and other agencies. Thus, attempts have been made in this paper to make an account on the migrant workers, to elucidate the COVID-19 impacts on them, to appraise major strategies and policy recommendations to strengthen self-reliant farming, rural development and re-employment.