Agriculture and Allied Sectors (Economic Development) (Part-I)

Cooperative farming refers to agricultural practices that are conducted by individuals on their holdings and resources jointly with other farmers and agencies. The agencies on behalf of the farmers form a collection in order to purchase agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, seeds, farming equipment and others.

Besides, these agencies are known as cooperative societies also assist the farmers in the sale of their agricultural production. The incorporation of public agencies for cooperative societies helps to improve the poor condition of farmers, especially in developing countries like India.

This farming practice allows small farms to conduct practices that large farms do such as increasing production volume to open new markets, buying farm inputs at bulk rates and others.

Cooperative farming processes can also assist individual farmers to reduce the per-use cost of their farm equipment, reducing the overall cost of farming for individual farmers involved in the cooperation.

It can be stated in this context that farmers and producers can together access the required farm services, lower production costs and generate higher income by implementing cooperative farming.

This model is participatory and flexible and allows small and marginal farmers to benefit from achieving economies of scale by organizing themselves into groups and synchronizing and harmonizing selected agricultural operations.

SFLF introduce scale efficiency by developing a model of community farming which pools small and marginal farmers together; enabling them with efficient, cost-effective input use, technical knowledge and infrastructural facilities that will help overcome the constraints faced by small farmers in accessing inputs, formal credit system, extension, and marketing.

Through systematic, planned and synchronized agricultural practices, farmers can utilize united-scale to procure inputs at a lower price, and gain more bargaining power for their produce.

International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in support of its ongoing projects like Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) and Stress-Tolerant Rice for Africa and South Asia (STRASA) piloted SFLF customized model at Taraboisasan and Khanijpur village in Odisha.

Since postcolonial India had greater part of its populace reliant on agribusiness, there were a few measures acquainted through Green transformation with make India independent in nourishment generation.

At the point when land changes of 1960 annulled Zamindari framework where zamindars gone about as mediators amongst state and cultivators for gathering revenue, this position left empty by zamindars were possessed by two type of people.

One are the proprietors with differently measured land possessions who leased land to inhabitants or utilized work. Other is little to medium measured independently employed free agrarian makers. These free makers were simply the important recipients of proprietor abolition.

They are independently employed and self subsidized and since their property possessions are sufficiently huge to bolster the utilization of a couple of bullocks, they came to be known as bullock capitalists. Since bullock industrialists are self financed, any benefit sought after or earned out of surplus would be utilized for their own particular prosperity.

The land reforms in India had a significant impact on transforming the agrarian structure by breaking the power of intermediaries and promoting direct land ownership among cultivators. As a result, these reforms led to the following outcomes, shaping the agricultural and social landscape of rural India.

Increased Productivity: Security of tenure and distribution of land has resulted in the occupants of the land taking an interest in its development and increasing its productivity.

Protected Tenancy Status: It has been strengthened by making provisions in the law regarding termination of tenancy, Green Revolution eviction of tenants, surrender by tenants, and purchase of tenanted land by the tenants.

Land Possession: Land provides not only economic benefits but also social prestige. Land reforms made it necessary to keep records of holdings, which had previously been optional.

Financial Burden on Landowners: Landowners, particularly absentee landlords, have had to incur substantial expenses and seek the assistance of legal professionals and bureaucracy to circumvent the ceiling laws.

The scope of land reforms therefore entails abolition of intermediaries and tenancy reforms, i.e. regulation of rent, security of tenure for tenants and conferment of ownership on them.

The entire concept aims at the abolition of intermediaries and bringing actual cultivator in direct con- tact with the State. The provisions of security of tenancy and rent regulation provide a congenial atmosphere in which the agriculturist feels sure of reaping the fruits of his labour.

The implementation of ceiling laws varied across states, and most of the laws were included in the Ninth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, providing immunity against legal challenges.

Despite the revisions, certain categories of land remained exempt from the ceiling, creating opportunities for evasion through the transfer of lands to these exempted categories. Jurisdiction of Civil Courts was barred in respect of land reform cases because of their inclusion in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution in 1990.

Most Indians who are involved in agriculture do live in villages instead of cities. Therefore the impact of urban poverty on agricultural development is quite less or insignificant. Skilled labour and migration from cities to villages are not the causes of slow agricultural development. Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.