ABSTRACT
This chapter provides perspectives of agricultural communities from Varanasi on the role of agriculture and focuses on farming practices and seasonal activity calendar of such agricultural communities. It describes their perspectives on impact of air pollution on agriculture and contains health and other social issues of such communities. The district of Varanasi is located in the eastern part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. The district of Varanasi is flushed by several river systems by the Ganges, Gomti, Karmnasa, Chandraprabha and Varuna and is rich in natural resources. At Varanasi, field research was undertaken in several villages, selection of which was based on scientific sites with different types of air pollution. The names of the villages are as follows: Adityanagar; Chitaipur; Karamanbir; Lohta; Maheshpur; Maraon; Nathupur; Navampura Kalan; and Nuaon. As described by the local communities from villages covered during field research at Varanasi, most households are primarily engaged in agriculture, which forms the backbone of their livelihoods.
