ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the agricultural sector as a whole. It argues that the role of agriculture can never be denied in a country like India as it not only contributes its due share to economic growth, but also plays a positive role in reducing poverty by generating employment opportunities and providing food to majority of the population. It points out towards the low productivity growth and performance in the pre- and post-liberalization period. Then it discusses the famous debate on the relationship between the size of agricultural farm and its productivity. After that it focuses on the institutional reforms, i.e. land reforms. The chapter also highlights the characteristics, impact and the different phases of the application of new technology known as the green revolution technology and the interdependence between green revolution and land reforms. The chapter attempts to examine the relationship of price responsiveness and size class with the marketed surplus. It further discusses the food procurement policy and the need of government intervention in the food grains market. It also talks about public distribution system (PDS), food subsidy and food security, agricultural price policy, which have assumed critical importance at present times. Also, the issue of food inflation and role of agricultural marketing have been described in detail. Finally, it discusses the role of agricultural credit (institutional and non-institutional) and NABARD. The chapter ends with a critical review on the impact of globalization on Indian agriculture and a case study on the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
