Agricultural Development in India (Set of 6 Books)

About the Book

Book 1: Indian Agriculture: Institutional Perspectives

Book 2: Agricultural Economy of India

Book 3: Agricultural Resources

Book 4: Technological change in Agriculture

Book 5: State and Agricultural Sector

Book 6: Issues Before Agricultural Development

Book 1: Indian Agriculture: Institutional Perspectives

This block comprises four Units.

Unit 1 takes a look at the land relations during pre-British period in India, particularly the Mughal period. Land revenue and tenure systems during this period are discussed in this Unit.

Unit 2 discusses the impact of British rule in India on land relations. It brings out the experiences' of different parts of the country with respect to land ownership rights, land revenue system, and agrarian structure.

Unit 3 deals with the land reforms measures underetaken after Independence, particularly during the 1950s and 1960s. Issues such as abolition of intermediaries, ceiling on landholdings, and tenancy reforms are discussed in this Unit.

Unit 4 deals with the land reforms measures undertaken after 1970. It examines the progress in the enactment and implementation of land reforms measures during this period. Also it looks into the relevance of traditional land reforms measures in the wake economic liberalization during 1990s.

Book 2: Agricultural Economy of India

Agriculture plays an important role in Indian economy. It meets our food needs, supplies inputs to agro-based industries and serves as a source of livelihood for the majority. Over the years this sector has registered manifold increase in its output, productivity and employment opportunity.

The present Block attempts to examine the status of the agricultural sector in the Indian economy. It comprises four Units.

Unit 5 brings out the role and importance of the agricultural sector in the Indian economic development.

Unit 6 presents the diversification aspects the Indian agricultural sector, particularly the importance of allied activities such as fishery, poultry, dairy farming, etc.

Unit 7 establishes the role of the forest sector in agricultural development. Also it examines the nature of linkages between forest sector and agricultural sector.

Unit 8 deliberates on the issue of rural industrialisation and its dependence on agricultural sector.

Book 3: Agricultural Resources

Exploitation of agricultural resources and its proper utilisation are essential for faster agricultural development in India. Keeping in view the limited availability of such resources we need to stress on the improvement in the quality and utilisation of these resources.

This block, comprising, three Units, discusses the issues related agricultural resources.

Unit 9 provides an overview of the land utilisation 'pattern. The changes in cropping pattern and' emerging problems are its subject matter.

Unit 10 looks into the irrigation potential of the country and its utilisation in the context of agricultural development. The problems associated with over-exploitation of water resources are dealt in this Unit.

Unit 11 delves into the possibility of dry land farming in the absence of irrigation facilities. It also appreciates the need for agro-c1imatic zoning and development of appropriate bio-technology in the Indian agricultural development process.

Book 4: Technological change in Agriculture

This block deals with the nature, extent and impact of the new technology introduced during the 1960s in Indian agriculture. Popularly known as 'green revolution', the new technology was widely adopted by Indian farmers particularly in the north-western part of India. The high yielding varieties of seeds, in the presence of assured irrigation and on application of chemical fertilisers, brought about a jump in the yield of crops. Over time the green revolution has spread to other parts of the country and India's agricultural output has increased manifold. The country, which was importing food grains during the 1960s and 1970s on a massive scale, has turned out to be a net exporter of food grains.

This block comprises 3 Units.

Unit 12 highlights the technical features of the HYV technology and the extent to which Indian farmers adopted it. It brings out the positive aspects which led to fast adoption of the new technology in the case of-wheat in the north-western part of the country. Also it points out the limiting factors that constrained the adoption of new technology in other parts of the country and in' other crops.

Unit 13 deals with the benefits of the new technology and distribution of such benefits. Issues such as inequality in distribution of gains across regions, crops and income groups are the subject matter of this Unit.

Unit 14 discusses the extent of increase in agricultural productivity due to introduction of new technology. Moreover, regional variations in yield are highlighted. The factors that lead to low yield also are discussed in this Unit.

Book 5: State and Agricultural Sector

This block covers some of the important issues such as capital formation in agriculture, marketing and storage of agricultural produce and the role of cooperatives in agricultural development. It comprises four units.

Unit 15 discusses the nature and trend of capital formation in the agricultural sector of India. The recent decline in public sector capital formation in agriculture and its impact on output growth are the subject matter of this unit.

Unit 16 deals with the nature and problems of agricultural marketing in India. It begins with the characteristics of agricultural commodities and the need for storage and marketing facilities. The role of the government in promoting institutionalised markets and warehouses is discussed in this unit.

Unit 17 discusses the rote of cooperatives in agricultural development in India. It highlights the principles, objectives and structure of cooperation in India.

Unit 18 deals with the operational aspects of cooperative movement in India. It brings out the important provisions of various legislations governing cooperatives.

Book 6: Issues Before Agricultural Development

This is the final block of the course. It deals with some of the policy issues in the context of agricultural development in India. It comprises four units.

Unit 19 discusses the pricing policy in Indian agriculture. It finds out the rationale for remunerative prices in India. It also brings out the challenges posed before the planners and the strains caused to the economy by the current pricing policy.

Unit 20 analyses the issues of taxation and subsidies prevalent in Indian agriculture. It begins with the impact on production distribution of taxation as well subsidies. Notwithstanding the merits of tax exemptions given to agricultural income the unit brings out the problems and politicisation of the issue. In a similar vein it poses the problems associated with various forms of subsidies to agriculture.

Unit 21 covers the role of public distribution system in providing food security to the poorer sections. The divergent trends of declining per capita food availability in the country and increasing stock of foodgrains are discussed in the unit.

Unit 22, which concludes the course, takes a holistic view of the agricultural scenario in the country and discusses the process of economic reforms of the agricultural sector.

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