Page 7 - Lessonnote_Change and Development in Rural Society

Second Phase of Green Revolution

▪ The second phase is introduced in the dry and semi-arid regions of India.
▪ In these areas there has been a significant shift from dry to wet cultivation, changes
in the cropping pattern and types of crops grown.
▪ Increasing commercialization and dependence on the market has increased
livelihood insecurity in these areas as the farmers who once grew food for
consumption, now depend on the market for their income.
▪ In market oriented cultivation where a single crop is grown, a bad crop or fall in
prices could bring about financial ruins to the farmers.

▪ Another negative outcome of Green Revolution was worsening of regional
inequalities.
▪ The areas that underwent technological transformations became more developed
while the other areas remained stagnated.
▪ Often it is thought that scientific methods of farming improves the condition of the
farmers. It is not always true.
▪ Due to the negative social and environmental impacts on modern methods of
cultivation, a number of farmer movements now suggest a return to traditional,
more organic seeds and methods of cultivation.

Transformation in rural society after independence:

➢ Profound transformations in the nature of social relations in rural areas after independence
included:
1. Increase in the agricultural labour as cultivation became more intensive.
2. A shift from payment in kind to payment in cash.
3. Loosening of traditional bonds between landowners and agricultural workers.
4. Rise of a class of free wage labour.
➢ The change of the relationship between landowners and agricultural workers was described
as a shift from patronage to exploitation (By sociologist Jan Breman).
➢ These change was significant in areas where agriculture was commercialized, where crops
were grown primarily for sale in the market.
➢ The transformation in labour relations was indicative of a transition to capitalist agriculture.
➢ The capitalist mode of production is based on separation of the workers from their land and
the use of free wage labour.
➢ As cultivation became more commercialized, the rural areas became integrated to the wider
economy.
➢ This increased the flow of money into the villages and expanded opportunities for business
and employment.
➢ The process of transformation in the rural economy began in the colonial period.
➢ The pace and spread of change rapidly increased after independence, as the govt. promoted
modern methods of cultivation.