Informations et ressources scientifiques
sur le développement des zones arides et semi-arides

Titre : Exploring agricultural transitions in drylands : a study of smallholder farming systems development in Telangana, India

Auteur : Kuchimanchi, Bhavana Rao

Université de soutenance : Wageningen University

Grade : Doctor 2022

Résumé partiel
Despite three decades of agricultural transitions in India, studies on the consequences of such transitions at the regional and farming system level remain limited. Furthermore, the impacts of agricultural intensification are likely to be more acute in dryland states of India, due to its inherent biophysical vulnerability. Therefore, this study was conducted in a region in the southern state of Telangana ; one of the seven dryland states of the country. The aim was to “understand transitions in farming systems and gain insights into the sustainability implications they have at a farm and watershed level in a dryland context”. To address the research objectives, mixed methods—both qualitative and quantitative approaches—were employed to gather and analyse the information. As this research is embedded in social–ecological systems theory, a watershed was taken as the unit of analysis. Watersheds can be considered an ideal social–ecological entity to study the various facets of agricultural transitions. The two study watersheds cover 27,814 ha, 6,572 HHs across seven villages in a region in Telangana. From this, 17,164 ha and 3,006 HHs were selected as a representative sample to conduct the research.

The results indicated that a concomitant presence of various drivers such as technological interventions, development programs with integrated approaches, proximity to a growing metropolitan city, and increasing market demand for certain agricultural products led to rapid changes in farming systems in the region. While agricultural production increased at a regional level, significant changes in land, water, and labor availability also occurred. The transitions in farming systems were completely unidirectional, becoming intensive and specialized with high market orientation ; and surpassed the social and cultural diversity in the region. Further, once the transition process gained momentum, farmers had to either join in or step out of agriculture.

Présentation

Version intégrale ( 11 Mb)