Perspectives from historical analyses of agri-food system transformations: A case study of Odisha, India
Rural society in Odisha, India, has been associated with widespread poverty and low purchasing power since the British colonial times. Odisha has consistently reported lower yields of crops and input use in agriculture compared to the national Indian average since India’s independence in 1947. Poor...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | Inglés |
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Elsevier
2025
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175038 |
| _version_ | 1855525209085313024 |
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| author | Sarkar, Anindita Mukherji, Aditi |
| author_browse | Mukherji, Aditi Sarkar, Anindita |
| author_facet | Sarkar, Anindita Mukherji, Aditi |
| author_sort | Sarkar, Anindita |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Rural society in Odisha, India, has been associated with widespread poverty and low purchasing power since the British colonial times. Odisha has consistently reported lower yields of crops and input use in agriculture compared to the national Indian average since India’s independence in 1947. Poor agricultural growth and rural poverty could be traced to colonial, extractive land revenue administration and poor land management practices. Post-independence scholarship has ascribed the continuation of rural poverty and distress to high exposure to natural hazards and high societal vulnerability due to development deficits. By analysing the historical evolution of policies since the 1850s, the study finds that even though the political and economic contexts have changed, low investment in agriculture remains the primary challenge even today. The cycle of low capital investment in agriculture, lack of adoption of better farm technologies, and overall public sector neglect of the agriculture sector has perpetuated, leading to low productivity. Therefore, it is time for the present policies to break away from these historical path dependencies to create a just and sustainable future for Odisha’s agri-food system. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace175038 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| publisherStr | Elsevier |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1750382025-10-26T12:52:17Z Perspectives from historical analyses of agri-food system transformations: A case study of Odisha, India Sarkar, Anindita Mukherji, Aditi agriculture food insecurity famine starvation agricultural policies colonialism Rural society in Odisha, India, has been associated with widespread poverty and low purchasing power since the British colonial times. Odisha has consistently reported lower yields of crops and input use in agriculture compared to the national Indian average since India’s independence in 1947. Poor agricultural growth and rural poverty could be traced to colonial, extractive land revenue administration and poor land management practices. Post-independence scholarship has ascribed the continuation of rural poverty and distress to high exposure to natural hazards and high societal vulnerability due to development deficits. By analysing the historical evolution of policies since the 1850s, the study finds that even though the political and economic contexts have changed, low investment in agriculture remains the primary challenge even today. The cycle of low capital investment in agriculture, lack of adoption of better farm technologies, and overall public sector neglect of the agriculture sector has perpetuated, leading to low productivity. Therefore, it is time for the present policies to break away from these historical path dependencies to create a just and sustainable future for Odisha’s agri-food system. 2025-06 2025-06-10T11:29:57Z 2025-06-10T11:29:57Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175038 en Open Access application/pdf Elsevier Sarkar, A. and Mukherji, A. 2025. Perspectives from historical analyses of agri-food system transformations: A case study of Odisha, India. World Development Perspectives 38:100686. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100686 |
| spellingShingle | agriculture food insecurity famine starvation agricultural policies colonialism Sarkar, Anindita Mukherji, Aditi Perspectives from historical analyses of agri-food system transformations: A case study of Odisha, India |
| title | Perspectives from historical analyses of agri-food system transformations: A case study of Odisha, India |
| title_full | Perspectives from historical analyses of agri-food system transformations: A case study of Odisha, India |
| title_fullStr | Perspectives from historical analyses of agri-food system transformations: A case study of Odisha, India |
| title_full_unstemmed | Perspectives from historical analyses of agri-food system transformations: A case study of Odisha, India |
| title_short | Perspectives from historical analyses of agri-food system transformations: A case study of Odisha, India |
| title_sort | perspectives from historical analyses of agri food system transformations a case study of odisha india |
| topic | agriculture food insecurity famine starvation agricultural policies colonialism |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175038 |
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