Rao, K P C and Kumara Charyulu, D (2007) Changes in Agriculture and Village Economies. Research Bulletin no.21 . International Crop Research Institute for Semi Arid Tropics , Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh, India. ISBN 978-92-9066-507-6
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Abstract
The Village Level Studies of ICRISAT are designed to collect farm level data to assist research in its task of generating new technologies suited to the needs and means of farmers living in the semi-arid tropics. They serve as a vehicle to study the changes in agriculture and village economies. This publication is a comprehensive study of 240 households from six villages, Aurepalle and Dokur in Andhra Pradesh and Kalman, Kanzara, Kinkheda and Shirapur villages in Maharashtra undertaken from 1975 to 1984 and later resumed in 2001-02 with a more representative sample of 446 households. It documents the changes that occurred in agriculture and household economies in these villages over a 26-year period between 1975-78 and 2001-04. The studies while giving a clear picture of farming systems in the rural areas, help in identifying the socioeconomic and institutional constraints faced by the farming community. The studies reveal the slow disappearance of joint families (dominant in 1975-78) and the emergence of nuclear families. They delve deep into the trends pertaining to average family size, literacy levels, household income, consumption standards, dependence on farming as a major occupation, reduced dependence on crop and livestock enterprises for sustenance, nonfarm sources of income, real wages of labor, etc. The studies reveal that households had less land to operate in 2001-04 than in 1975-78 and that cropping patterns have undergone drastic changes with cash crops overtaking food crops in all the VLS villages. Despite moderate increases in productivity, crop and livestock production have become non-remunerative due to steadily increasing production costs and stagnant product prices. The publication finally addresses the policy implications of drastically changed cropping patterns and nonviability of crop and livestock enterprises among other issues, and suggests measures to improve the state of rainfed agriculture in the semi-arid tropics.
| Item Type: | Book |
|---|---|
| Divisions: | UNSPECIFIED |
| CRP: | UNSPECIFIED |
| Series Name: | Research Bulletin no.21 |
| Subjects: | Others > Agriculture-Farming, Production, Technology, Economics |
| Depositing User: | Mr Sanat Kumar Behera |
| Date Deposited: | 19 Sep 2011 07:03 |
| Last Modified: | 21 Oct 2015 10:06 |
| URI: | http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/1757 |
| Acknowledgement: | The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of and guidance from Dr MCS Bantilan, Global Theme Leader, Institutions, Markets, Policy and Impacts (IMPI), in conducting the Village Level Studies. The help rendered by Y Mohan Rao and VK Chopde, Senior Scientific Officers, in meticulously supervising the collection and verification of the survey data is also appreciated. So is the patient work of the numerous investigators who worked for short periods conducting the three annual surveys. The whole exercise would have been in vain but for the data entry operators, programmers and scientific officers who assisted in data entry, programming and analysis to bring this publication to life. We are thankful to our referees for their balanced comments and to our editor for his valuable comments and suggestions. We also acknowledge the administrative support provided by H Padmini, VN Krishnan and Kenneth Muir. Last, but not the least, we thank all the respondent farmers in the six VLS villages who gave us their time to patiently respond to our innumerable queries. |
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