Is agriculture becoming less important for employment, incomes and livelihoods of people in rural India and for the Indian economy as a whole? The answer depends on the way in which the role and contribution of agriculture is measured.
Monsoon in Marathwada – Hopes Belied: The Case of Osmanabad District
In the last few years, Maharashtra has faced severe drought. Within Maharashtra, the Marathwada region lies in the rain shadow zone, receiving an average annual rainfall of around 750 mm. Beed, Latur, and Osmanabad districts in Marathwada receive rainfall that is lower than the average for Marathwada.
Migration and the Changing Structure of the Rural Economy of Bihar
Migration of workers from rural areas of Bihar to other parts of India has grown steadily. In a paper published in the Economic and Political Weekly (July 30, 2016), Amrita Datta argues that migration has played a key role in determining the economic and social structure of rural Bihar in recent times.
Income from Forests
A relatively new concept in the literature on rural household incomes is that of income from forests and from environment services. Forest income is defined as income from forest produce (other than plantations) including produce collected for fuel, food, fodder, construction, medicine, and other uses.
Gujarat: The Azadi Kooch March and Land Reform
The Una incident initiated a state-wide protest movement of Dalits. A long march – the Azadi Kooch March – is being planned by the movement in August 2016 from Ahmedabad to Una. A marked feature of this movement is also the wide-ranging nature of its demands. Justice to the victims of Una is one of the demands, of course, but the movement has also demanded the urgent implementation of land reforms.
Fresh Measures to Revive Rice Cultivation in Kerala
The newly elected Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala has given indications about its resolve to revive paddy cultivation in the State. But the path ahead is not likely to be an easy one.
Brexit and the U.K. Farmer
So it’s finally Brexit. How will exit from the Common Agricultural Policy affect farmers in the United Kingdom?
Tracking Farmers’ Incomes in India
In India, surprisingly enough, we did not have any official data on incomes of farm households till a decade ago. The first official source of data on farmer’s incomes was the Situation Assessment Survey (SAS) conducted by the National Sample Survey Organisation.
Migration from Drought-Hit Bundelkhand
The drought in Bundelkhand, which is spread across 13 districts in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, is leading to distress-driven migration in large numbers from this region. A report by Sayantan Bera published in Live Mint (June 9, 2016) writes about some of these migrants who reach Delhi in search of employment.
A View from Rural Tripura
The most striking change in Dhalai (as in the rest of Tripura) is the return of peace and security. My impression from a week in the field, participating in a survey of households in Mainama village, is of a society that has taken impressive steps on a public-support-led path of human development.
