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To farm or not to farm? Indian farmers in transition

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  • Bina Agarwal
  • Ankush Agrawal

Abstract

Few studies of agrarian transition examine what farmers themselves feel about farming. Are they cultivating out of choice or a lack of options? What distinguishes farmers who like farming from those who do not: their personal and household characteristics and endowments? The local ecology and regional economy? Or a mix of these and other factors? Understanding farmer satisfaction is important not only for assessing citizen well-being but also for agricultural productivity, since occupational satisfaction can affect a farmer’s incentive to invest and reveal production constraints. Using a unique all-India data set which asked farmers—do you like farming?—this paper provides answers and policy pointers, contributing a little-studied dimension to debates on the smallholder’s future and subjective well-being.

Suggested Citation

  • Bina Agarwal & Ankush Agrawal, 2016. "To farm or not to farm? Indian farmers in transition," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series 012016, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    • Handle: RePEc:bwp:bwppap:012016
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    2. Rahman, Andaleeb, 2018. "Does off-farm income affect food security? Evidence from India," 2018 Annual Meeting, August 5-7, Washington, D.C. 273882, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    3. Andaleeb Rahman & Sumit Mishra, 2020. "Does Non-farm Income Affect Food Security? Evidence from India," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(6), pages 1190-1209, June.
    4. Fennell, Shailaja & Kaur, Prabhjot & Jhunjhunwala, Ashok & Narayanan, Deapika & Loyola, Charles & Bedi, Jaskiran & Singh, Yaadveer, 2018. "Examining linkages between Smart Villages and Smart Cities: Learning from rural youth accessing the internet in India," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(10), pages 810-823.
    5. Ravi Nandi & Swamikannu Nedumaran, 2021. "Understanding the Aspirations of Farming Communities in Developing Countries: A Systematic Review of the Literature," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 33(4), pages 809-832, August.
    6. Kumar, Awanish, 2018. "The Crisis of the Small Farm Economy in India," Review of Agrarian Studies, Foundation for Agrarian Studies, vol. 8(1), July.

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