Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book presents a review of post-Independence Indian agriculture and the economic growth experienced by the agricultural states. It analyses the degree of growth that was achieved and analyzes the structural transformation that occurred, as well as the sources of that growth. The book provides a study of the prevailing technology used in agriculture during the 1960s and 1970s, especially with respect to its effect on the labor force. It explains topics relevant in the study of the source, the process and the consequences of agricultural growth. India is a highly populated, relatively poor country, whose economic structure reveals the dominance of agriculture and where economic planning occurs within the context of a mixed economy. The agricultural sector is of importance in the Indian economy both with respect to its share of national income, as well as in its role as employer.