MP Board · Class 10 · Social Science · Geography: AgricultureDiscuss the institutional and technological reforms introduced by the Indian government in the agricultural sector to improve productivity and farmers' welfare.

Institutional and Technological Reforms in Indian Agriculture

\nAgriculture has been the backbone of India's economy, yet it faced stagnation due to traditional methods and archaic land relations. To address these issues and boost productivity, the government has introduced several structural reforms over the decades.

• Institutional Reforms (Land Reforms):

  • Abolition of Zamindari System: This was undertaken to eliminate intermediaries and transfer land ownership directly to the actual tillers, thereby reducing exploitation.
  • Consolidation of Land Holdings: Fragmentation of agricultural land was a major hurdle. Consolidation laws were enacted to bring scattered holdings into single compact blocks.
  • Ceiling on Land Holdings: Laws were passed to fix the maximum limit of land that an individual could own, with surplus land redistributed among landless farmers.
  • Agricultural Credit and Insurance: Establishment of Grameen banks, cooperative societies, and banks for providing low-interest loans to farmers, alongside schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) to provide crop insurance against natural calamities.
  • Minimum Support Price (MSP): Announcement of MSP and procurement policies by the government to protect farmers from exploitation by middlemen and drastic price drops.

• Technological Reforms:

  • Green Revolution: Introduced in the 1960s and 1970s, it brought package technology involving High Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides, which dramatically increased wheat and rice production.
  • White Revolution (Operation Flood): Focused on improving dairy farming and milk production through modern technology and cooperative networks.
  • Modern Irrigation Facilities: Expansion of tube wells, canals, and drip/sprinkler irrigation systems to reduce dependency on erratic monsoon rains.
  • Mass Media and Digital Support: Regular weather bulletins, agricultural programs on radio/television, Kisan Credit Cards (KCC), and e-NAM (National Agricultural Market) portals providing real-time market prices to empower farmers.