Mapping Out Vibrant Agricultural Communities In The Aizawl District

Abstract

Agriculture, however, continues to be the backbone of the Indian Economy. Significance of agriculture (though it contributes only 21 % to India’s GDP) in the country’s economic, social, and political fabric goes well beyond this indicator. The rural areas are still home to some 72 % of the India’s 1.25 billion people, many who are poor. Most of the rural poor depend on rain-fed agriculture and fragile forests for their livelihoods. The sharp rise in food grain production during India’s Green Revolution of the 1970s enabled the country to achieve self-sufficiency in food grains and stave off the threat of famine and food shortage. Agricultural intensification in the 1970s to 1980s also saw an increased demand for rural labour that raised rural wages and, together with declining food prices, reduced rural poverty. Agricultural growth since 1990s reduced rural poverty to 26.3 % by 1999-2000. Since then, however, the slowdown in agricultural growth has become a major cause for concern. India’s rice yields are one-third of China’s and about half of the yield in Vietnam and Indonesia. Except for sugarcane, potato and tea, the same is true for most other agricultural commodities. This requires a redefinition of agricultural efficiency at least in national context.