Agrarian Structure and Development of Agrarian Sector

Introduction of the land reforms, adoption of scientific technologies, opening of agricultural production to the global market has resulted in a shift of agriculture from being predominantly based on food grain production to cash crop and horticultural production in the recent times. The growth-led story of Indian agriculture does not touch upon the fact that the caste and class inequality continues galore in the rural economy. Agrarian structure has transformed from being based on the age-old 'master-serf or 'patron-client' relation to one that is based on 'profit-making' incentive, where the agricultural and landless labourers are no more tied to the landlords or the landowners. Persistence of social inequality is seen from the fact that the small and marginal farmers and landless and agricultural labourers who traditionally belonged to the lower castes continue to remain economically deprived and most often fall in debt-trap in order to increase production levels. With the help of several field studies, I have showed in the paper that introduction of the Bt technology, introduction of the new seed varieties and patenting policies and increase in the local power lobbies has affected the development in the agrarian sector and has not done much to change the social milieu of the rural economy. I also show that much of the profit gained from agricultural growth is enjoyed by the big farmers and large landholders who traditionally belong to the upper castes or the dominant landed castes and also dominate the local power structure in the rural areas.