My review in Japanese appears in Statistics, the journal of the Japanese Society of Economic Statistics. The review begins by introducing the book series, mentioning that the book is part of the Agrarian Studies Series of the Foundation for Agrarian Studies.
The Shrinking Policy Space for Food Security
Food security one one of the foremost goals of social policy in most developing countries, including India. Subsidies for food security can be at the producer level (through price support and procurement), at the storage, processing and transport level and, finally, at the retail level (that is, to the consumer). As per the WTO Agreement on Agriculture (AoA), subsidies are permissible except through price support and procurement.
The Agricultural Potential of Tripura
Tripura is a small State in the North-East of our country that has made excellent progress in agriculture largely because it is endowed with high political stability and vision, and also a high degree of administrative efficiency.
Understanding Organic Agriculture
Globally, there is an increasing concern for environmental sustainability and availability of safe and nutritious food. Organic agriculture is seen as a promising solution to address these concerns.
Budget 2017-18: No Relief for the Indian Farmer
India’s agriculture has hardly grown after 2011. If we consider the gross value added in agriculture, annual growth rates over the previous year were 1.5 per cent in 2012-13, 4.2 per cent in 2013-14, -0.2 per cent in 2014-15 and 1.2 per cent in 2015-16. Growth rates in agriculture were to revive in 2016-17, but there is deep uncertainty due to the disruptive consequences of demonetisation.
De-Regulation of Tenancy in Rural India
Tenancy reform was an important component of land reform in post-Independence India, and in most States, leasing of agricultural land — or tenancy — is legally regulated or, in some cases, banned altogether. Now the Niti Aayog has published a Report of the Expert Committee on Land Leasing, chaired by T. Haque (Government of India 2016). The main argument of the Report is that land leasing be deregulated.
How do Small Farmers Fare in India?
Arindam Das and I have worked with detailed household level empirical data from 17 villages across nine States of India to examine the viability of small farming. We defined small farmer households as households engaged predominantly in cultivation but with less than two hectares of irrigated land or six hectares of unirrigated land (or combinations thereof).
Pulse Consumption in India
India has a large population of undernourished people. They suffer from calorie, protein, and micronutrient deficiency. In 2014, 37 per cent of children under 5 were reported to be stunted and 34 per cent were underweight (National Family and Health Survey-4 for 17 major states).
A Note on Absolute Poverty in Kerala
The Human Development Index for Kerala was 0.911, a high value and similar to the performance of many advanced countries. These achievements are undeniably due to effective public action by the State.
What the Clean India Mission Needs to Do
The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) conducted a Rapid Survey on Swachhata (or “cleanliness”) Status along with the 72nd round (July 2014-June 2015). The purpose of this survey was to take stock of and assess the countrywide situation with regard to cleanliness and hygiene.
