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Livelihoods and agro-ecological gradients: A meso-level analysis in the Indo-Gangetic Plains, India

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  • Erenstein, Olaf
  • Thorpe, William

Abstract

Rice-wheat systems in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) have long exemplified South Asia's agricultural transformation through the Green Revolution. The same systems now also typify the post-Green Revolution stagnation and equity challenges, despite receiving considerable attention from the research and development (R&D) community. The apparent homogeneity of vast irrigated plains masks significant diversity in assets, livelihood strategies and livelihood outcomes. The paper analyzes the rural livelihoods and underlying agro-ecological gradients in the IGP drawing on village surveys and secondary data as characterization tools. The contribution of the paper is twofold: (i) new knowledge of the socio-economic circumstances in farming communities across the Indian IGP to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of R&D interventions and particularly poverty alleviation; and (ii) an illustration of a novel approach to operationalize livelihood analysis at the meso-level so as to address spatial scale issues and link micro-level contextual realities across a vast geographical area. The agricultural R&D community needs to incorporate this socio-economic diversity more proactively into its R&D agenda if it is to succeed in sustaining productivity gains, improving rural livelihoods equitably, and securing environmental sustainability in this important eco-region.

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  • Erenstein, Olaf & Thorpe, William, 2011. "Livelihoods and agro-ecological gradients: A meso-level analysis in the Indo-Gangetic Plains, India," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 104(1), pages 42-53, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agisys:v:104:y:2011:i:1:p:42-53
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    4. Krishna, Vijesh V. & Aravindakshan, Sreejith & Chowdhury, Apurba & Rudra, Bankim, 2012. "Farmer Access and Differential Impacts of Zero Tillage Technology in the Subsistence Wheat Farming Systems of West Bengal, India," Socioeconomics Program Working Papers 147204, CIMMYT: International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center.
    5. Sreejith Aravindakshan & Frederick Rossi & T. S. Amjath-Babu & Prakashan Chellattan Veettil & Timothy J. Krupnik, 2018. "Application of a bias-corrected meta-frontier approach and an endogenous switching regression to analyze the technical efficiency of conservation tillage for wheat in South Asia," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 49(2), pages 153-171, June.
    6. Takeshima, Hiroyuki & Salau, Sheu, 2011. "How does ownership of farm implements affect investment in other farm implements when farmers' liquidity constraint is relaxed?: Insights from Nigeria," IFPRI discussion papers 1133, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    7. Adelhart Toorop, Roos & Ceccarelli, Viviana & Bijarniya, Deepak & Jat, Mangi Lal & Jat, Raj Kumar & Lopez-Ridaura, Santiago & Groot, Jeroen C.J., 2020. "Using a positive deviance approach to inform farming systems redesign: A case study from Bihar, India," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    8. Singh, Jaswinder, 2016. "Identifying an economic power production system based on agricultural straw on regional basis in India," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 1140-1155.
    9. Mottaleb, Khondoker A. & Krupnik, Timothy J. & Keil, Alwin & Erenstein, Olaf, 2019. "Understanding clients, providers and the institutional dimensions of irrigation services in developing countries: A study of water markets in Bangladesh," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 222(C), pages 242-253.
    10. Terese E. Venus & Stephanie Bilgram & Johannes Sauer & Arun Khatri-Chettri, 2022. "Livelihood vulnerability and climate change: a comparative analysis of smallholders in the Indo-Gangetic plains," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 1981-2009, February.
    11. Diana E Lopez & Romain Frelat & Lone B Badstue, 2022. "Towards gender-inclusive innovation: Assessing local conditions for agricultural targeting," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(3), pages 1-25, March.
    12. Mottaleb, Khondoker Abdul & Singh, Pawan Kumar & He, Xinyao & Hossain, Akbar & Kruseman, Gideon & Erenstein, Olaf, 2019. "Alternative use of wheat land to implement a potential wheat holiday as wheat blast control: In search of feasible crops in Bangladesh," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 1-12.
    13. Krishna, Vijesh V. & Mehrotra, Meera Bhatia & Teufel, Nils & Bishnoi, Dalip Kumar, 2012. "Characterizing the Cereal Systems and Identifying the Potential of Conservation Agriculture in South Asia," Socioeconomics Program Working Papers 147109, CIMMYT: International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center.

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