Harvesting the Future: Mechanisation, Free Trade, and Policy Changes in Agriculture

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

Despite achieving record foodgrain production, India’s agriculture sector remains caught in a paradox of persistent farmer poverty and escalating vulnerability. The e-book, Harvesting the Future: Mechanisation, Free Trade, and Policy Changes in Agriculture, provides a multi-faceted analysis of its critical state. Authored by policy experts, scientists, and leaders, the essays in this e-book touch upon a wide range of topics — from climate change impact and the food security debate to farmer distress and the adoption of modern technology.

The book also takes a critical look at past and present government policies, from the Green Revolution’s legacy to recent initiatives like PM-KISAN and other controversial farm laws. But moving beyond a mere diagnosis of agrarian distress, the book also proposes a new, integrated vision for agriculture. It argues that addressing structural threats requires a fundamental “system” transformation rather than siloed, production-centric initiatives. It calls for a holistic “food systems” approach that balances economic viability, ecological sustainability, and nutritional security.

By exploring the intersections of technology infusion, cooperative movements, and robust, equitable policy frameworks, it provides a comprehensive roadmap for a more resilient, sustainable, and democratic agricultural future that places the farmer’s livelihood firmly at its centre.

• Fields of uncertainty: India’s agriculture waiting for a ‘system’ transformation by T. Nandakumar

• Promoting Aquaculture technology infusion and start-ups in India by Abhilaksh Likhi

• India needs a new architecture to manage increasing compound climatic risks in agriculture by Pramod Kumar Aggarwal

• Digital technologies and automation in Indian farming: current status and adoption by Devinder Dhingra

• Between food security and free trade: Indian agriculture at the WTO and beyond by Poornima Varma

• The agrarian question in neoliberal India: farmers’ resistance and the struggle for democratic transformation by Ashok Dhawale

• Punjab’s new farm policy: agricultural development through cooperatives by Sukhpal Singh

To download a sample of the e-book: https://newsth.live/Harvesting_the_Future_Sample

To read the e-book, subscribe here: https://www.thehindu.com/premium/ebook/

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.