Issues In Indian Agricultural Development

This work analyzes growth and structural change in Indian agriculture over the last three decades. In order to develop a global perspective, the Indian agricultural growth experience is introduced using parallels and contrasts with other parts of the Third World. The book is characterized by an empirical approach to the underlying economic data and a multi-disciplinary approach to the ramifications of agricultural growth. Considered among these are the transformation of the female labor force, population migrations and changes in human welfare. This book differs from the numerous others on Indian agriculture insofar as it takes a regional perspective, focusing on the causes and effects of inter-state variations.

This volume contains twelve important articles on agricultural economics by eminent economist K.N. Raj. The articles examine agricultural growth, planning, and development in India, Taiwan, Mexico, Sri Lanka, and China.

Monograph on the role of agriculture in economic and social development in India - examines agricultural development since independence and discusses agricultural policy, rural area poverty, rural employment and unemployment, agricultural workers, hunger and food production, land utilization, crop diversification, agricultural production, irrigation, agricultural mechanization and green revolution, agricultural credit, agricultural marketing, exports, agricultural price, tenancy and land reform, farm size, etc. Bibliography pp. 554 to 556.

This volume examines the transitions in Indian agriculture since the 1980s, and emphasizes upon the role of neoliberal policies and their impact. The essays presented here deal with a range of pertinent and contemporary issues, including global food security, livelihoods of agricultural labourers, and public and private investment. These weave together glimpses of the impasse faced by petty commodity producers (marginal and small farmers) and their subsequent economic distress and social exclusion. Comprehensive in analysis, this book will be useful to scholars and researchers of agricultural economics, political economy, political science and public policy.

The book covers Indian agricultural development from the colonial to the present period. It examines how ruling class political ideology determined the agricultural policies from colonial rule. It considers both quantitative and qualitative aspects in all periods: colonial period to pre-green revolution phase, post-green revolution phase (early and late stages) and post-globalisation phase after 1991. India has achieved the ability to maintain food security, through enough food grain buffer stocks to meet the enormous public distribution system. But, with India’s entry into WTO in 1994, euphoria has been created among all types of farmers to adopt commercial crops like cotton cost-intensive inputs. Even food grain crops are grown through use of costly irrigation and chemicalised inputs. But they lacked remunerative prices, and so farmers began to commit suicides, which crossed 3.5 lakh. Government of India attributed this agrarian crisis to the technology fatigue and gave scope for second green revolution (GR-II). GR-I was achieved by public sector enterprise, whereas the GR-II as gene revolution is a result of private sector enterprise/MNCs. There is fear that opening up of the sector may lead to handover of the family farms to big agri-multinationals. GOI’s proposal to double farmers’ income by 2022 is feasible only when the problems, being faced by small, marginal and tenant farmers, are addressed in agricultural marketing, credit and extension services. Now, it is time to go for suitable forms of cooperative/collective agriculture, as 85 percent of total cultivators are the small and marginal farmers. This book is co-published with Aakar Books, New Delhi. Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the print versions of this book in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.