Economics of Agricultural Diversification with Special Reference to Recent Horticultural Development in Western Maharashtra

The principal objective of this study is to examine the impact, spread and the benefits of horticultural crops as a means of agricultural diversification. In overpopulated and underdeveloped countries like India characterized by dominant subsistence agriculture, land holdings are not only small but also of variable quality. A major problem for subsistence landholders is to earn a sufficient and stable income flow. Given the constraints of (a) the size of their landholdings. (b) the availability of water and (c) the quality distribution of landholdings, the only means by which farmers can achieve a sufficient and stable income is by means of a change in technology of farming. suitable to meet the constraints. Horticulture represents one of the several alternative technologies that farmers can adopt.