ABSTRACT
Understanding of agrarian change in India started with the analysis of relationship between capitalism and peasantry. This chapter attempts to analyse the level of capitalist growth in Indian agriculture in the context of neoliberal reforms and its consequent impact on the existence of peasantry across major states. The trend of capitalist growth in Indian agriculture across major states in terms of cropping pattern, use of purchased inputs, growth of output and capital formation is presented. Analysis of relationship between capitalism and peasantry in India began in the 1960s following the introduction of the green revolution, which triggered off the most important debate over the nature and extent of the growth of capitalism in Indian agriculture. It continued in the 1970s extending into the 1980s. Based on texts of Karl Marx and Lenin, the contributors to the debate tried to identify the necessary and sufficient conditions of capitalism in agriculture and the rural class structure.
