Abstracts of published papers : Dr Akhil Alha
1. Features of the Agrarian Market in Odisha: Insights From a Field Survey
Man & Development, Vol. XLII No. 1, March 2020, ISSN 0258-0438
Abstract: This paper explores agrarian relations in Odisha and the changes occurred therein in recent years when the state’s agriculture is undergoing a pervasive agrarian crisis. On the basis of primary data collected from four villages, it finds that the volume of agricultural employment as well as long-term labour contracts are on a decline. While the structure of tenancy in partially irrigated villages has not undergone any major change in the past years, absentee landlordism as well as leasing under fixed rent in cash is on rise, while fixed produce tenancy is declining in the irrigated villages. Though non-farm opportunities generated in nearby urban areas are mostly precarious and insecure in nature, they have helped rural households in sustaining their livelihoods. These opportunities along with an improved coverage of banks and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in extending credit have helped in loosening the bond of unfreedom in labour relations to some extent. Given the fact that the process of withdrawal of rural workforce from agriculture is very slow, the state agencies must intervene to bring agricultural sector out of the crisis through higher public investment in the form of harnessing irrigation potential available in the state, extension of credit and legitimising land leasing in the state.
2.Non-farm Diversification and Agrarian Change: The Story of a Semi- arid Village in Rajasthan
Social Change 50(2) 254–271, 2020 (June 2020 Issue)
Abstract: The paper, a study of Baspur village in Rajasthan, spans a period of five years. It argues that changes in the village economy of Baspur have been guided by a greater integration of the village with the outside world, facilitated by improved modes of communication and transport. Over the years, the increase in non-farm employment, mostly casual and informal in nature in nearby towns, has emerged as a major driver of growth and distribution of income in the village economy. This, coupled with already existing migration streams, considered essential to support livelihood, has greatly reduced the dependence of rural households on agriculture. This is evident in the reluctance of male workers towards preforming farming tasks, a decline in the incidence of land-leasing in the village and a steep rise in farm wages over the years.
Keywords Non-farm employment, tenancy, migration, occupational mobility