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.
Women’s Work in Animal Care
In a recent Research Note, Yoshifumi Usami and I had examined women’s work in livestock and animal rearing, and we had argued that women constitute the primary work force in the animal resources sector. While we had data on the number of women participating in animal rearing activity, we did not have information on the time spent in animal care. Information on these lines is now available from a pilot time-use survey conducted last week in Siresandra village, Kolar district, Karnataka.
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).
Interim Report of the Committee to Study the Impact of Demonetisation on Kerala
The Kerala State Planning Board appointed a Committee on November 23, 2016 to study the impact of demonetisation and related measures of the Government of India on the economy of the State of Kerala. The Committee submitted an interim report on December 20, 2016.
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.