ABSTRACT
Tikri village lies in the district of Varanasi, which is the home of the ancient and holy city of Banaras, known in ancient literature as Kashi, venerated and inhabited by the Hindus, Muslims, Jains and the Buddhists alike. Though Tikri is a large village and is near the urban agglomeration of Banaras, the means of livelihood available to the villagers are limited mainly to agriculture, employment either as agricultural labourers or as employees in the service sector and as milk vendors. It is important to put in perspective the general socio-economic and political changes that have been faced by the villagers in Tikri, to better appreciate the changes in pattern of food production and agricultural practices. The agricultural practices have had significant influence on the food production pattern. Because agriculture became High External Input Agriculture (HEIA), yield income and cost of cultivation became the dominant determinants in deciding what crops would be chosen for cultivation.
