Foundation for Agrarian Studies

The recording of the 4th seminar of FAS YSOSS 2024-25 will be out soon! Here is a glimpse of the seminar. The seminar titled 'Labour Absorption in Crop Cultivation in Rural Haryana' was presented by Prachi Bansal, Assistant professor, Jindal School of Government and Public Policy, O.P. Jindal Global University, on Friday, November 29, 2024 at 4 PM IST. Prachi Bansal’s study gives a comprehensive view of total labour use in crop cultivation across different agro-ecological zones of rural Haryana. Stay tuned!

Recently, The Wire published an article titled, “New Study Takes on NITI Aayog's Poverty Ratio Fall Claim,” highlighting that “over a quarter of Indians remain below the poverty line (26.4%).” The piece draws from a research paper published in the Review of Agrarian Studies (RAS), that attempts to recompute poverty figures in India using the “Rangarajan method.” The report also refers to the recent RAS Editorial and an online panel discussion conducted by the Foundation for Agrarian Studies on the subject. Read the research paper: https://lnkd.in/gEiHsFHP Access the RAS editorial: https://lnkd.in/gVck49Gm Watch the complete recording of the panel discussion: https://lnkd.in/gxjmJ5xP Read the Wire article: https://lnkd.in/gRWBHUNm...

Sandipan Baksi, Director at the Foundation for Agrarian Studies (FAS), Sethu C A, Senior Research Assistant at FAS, and Deepak Johnson, our long-standing Research collaborator recently published an article titled "Green Revolution in India: Making Sense of the Qualitative and Quantitative Aspects of Change" in the Economic and Political Weekly. This paper discusses the critical role of the Green Revolution in increasing crop yields and ensuring food security in India despite criticisms on political, economic, and ecological fronts. The paper also engages with recent “revisionist histories” that downplay the qualitative shifts and dismiss the quantitative achievements of the Green Revolution. An analysis of agricultural data from 1950–51 to 2021–22 highlights the transformative changes in agricultural production during this period. https://lnkd.in/gGtQtaKH

#FASWrapped #FASResearch As we approach 2025, #FASWrapped will look back at some of the work we have done in 2024. Over the past year, we have made significant contributions through our publications and blogs. Our blogs are available on our website: https://fas.org.in/blog/ Two issues of the Review of Agrarian Studies (Volume 13, Issue 2; and Volume 14, Issue 1), the academic journal of the Foundation, were published. They can be accessed at https://ras.org.in/ Additionally, the members of the FAS team contributed articles to esteemed journals, including the Indian Journal of Labour Economics and Economic and Political Weekly. Our work was also featured on prominent media platforms such as The Wire. Stay updated with our latest blogs and publications!

#FASRecap #FASResearch As we approach 2025, #FASRecap will look back at some of the work we have done in 2024. This year marked a significant milestone for the FAS Young Scholars' Online Seminar Series. We proudly hosted the 5th, 6th, and 7th seminars of the second round of the Seminar Series in the first three months of 2024, and kicked off the third season in the month of August. We have successfully organised four seminars in this season. Each session showcased insightful research and fostered meaningful discussions among emerging scholars. Explore more about the YSOSS series and other FAS events on our website: https://lnkd.in/gj3YH4XT

#FASWrapped #FASResearch As we approach 2025, #FASWrapped will look back at some of the work we have done over the past year. Last year, the Foundation conducted four public events based on key policy points, all of them featuring renowned scholars and expert panellists. Reports and recordings of these events can be found on our website: https://lnkd.in/gj3YH4XT The first public event of the year featured Prof. R. Ramakumar in conversation with Dr. Deepak Johnson, where they discussed the Union budget for agriculture, the root causes of current agricultural trends, their implications for agricultural development, and their effects on different sections of the farming population. The second public event of the year featured Dr. Deepak Johnson, who presented the Foundation’s report “Trends in Costs and Incomes from Crop Production in India,” in collaboration with IRRI. The webinar, chaired by Dr. V. Surjit, discussed farm income studies and their relevance to the agrarian economy. The third public event of the year featured Arindam Das, Joint-Director of FAS, who discussed changes in wage inequality in India and its impact on economic inequality. The webinar, based on official data and primary studies, highlighted the decline in wage inequality since 2011 despite stagnant wage growth. The final public event of the year focused on measuring poverty in India. The online panel discussion, chaired by Professor Madhura Swaminathan, featured experts Dr. Gaurav Datt, Dr. Himanshu, Dr. P.C. Mohanan, and Dr. R. Ramakumar. The discussion highlighted findings from a recent paper published in the Review of Agrarian Studies, authored by Sethu C. A., Abhinav Surya L. T., and Ruthu C. A., which estimates the national poverty headcount ratio at 26.4% in 2023, challenging earlier reports of significant poverty reduction. 

#FASWrapped #FASResearch 2024 has been a remarkable year, with insightful publications, engaging seminars, and impactful events for the Foundation. As we approach 2025, the #FASWrapped series we will look back at some of the work we have done over the past year. As the year comes to an end, FAS extends its heartfelt gratitude to all team members for their hard work and dedication, which have been instrumental in making 2024 a successful year. We are deeply grateful to our Trustees for their continued support. We would also like to express our sincere appreciation to Rahul from Free Software Movement Karnataka (FSMK) for his invaluable technical support and assistance. #AgrarianRelations #AgrarianStudies #RuralIndia

On December 25, 1968, 44 Dalits, including women and children were locked in a hut and burnt alive, a brutal atrocity on the agrarian struggle in the region. The Foundation for Agrarian Studies published a book titled Economic Change in the Lower Cauvery Delta: A Study of Palakurichi and Venmani. This in-depth study examines agrarian transformation in the region, including Keelavenmani, where the massacre of Dalits serves as a haunting reminder of the violence rooted in caste and class oppression that shaped the area. Based on data collected through household-level surveys conducted in 2019, the book is the seventh installment in the Agrarian Studies book series. It explores the nature and characteristics of agrarian relations in the villages of Palakurichi and Venmani, situated in Nagapattinam district, within their unique historical context of agrarian struggle and change. A second publication under the project, a monograph on the political history of the Keelvenmani atrocity of 1968, is under preparation. The Introduction chapter of the book has now been made freely available and can be accessed through the link below : https://lnkd.in/gaHVQKAE

The online panel discussion on “Measuring Poverty in India” took place on Wednesday, December 18, 2024. Here is a glimpse of the insightful discussion… Those who missed the event can access the recording here: https://lnkd.in/gxjmJ5xP Read the full report on the event: https://lnkd.in/gufivGDs The panel featured eminent experts: Gaurav Datt, Associate Professor at the Centre for Development Economics and Sustainability, Monash University; Himanshu, Associate Professor at the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, Jawaharlal Nehru University; P.C. Mohanan, Chairman of the Kerala State Statistical Commission; and R. Ramakumar, Professor at the School of Development Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences. The discussion was chaired by Professor Madhura Swaminathan, Professor and Head, Economic Analysis Unit, Indian Statistical Institute.

The lack of updated data on poverty in India was discussed in great detail during a recent panel discussion organised by the Foundation for Agrarian Studies. The discussion centred on a research article titled, “Poverty in India: The Rangarajan Method and the 2022–23 Household Consumption and Expenditure Survey,” published in the Review of Agrarian Studies (14,2), which argues that more than a quarter of India’s population continues to live in poverty. Read the research article here: https://lnkd.in/gc-bb4qp Read the full report on the event: https://lnkd.in/gufivGDs Those who missed the event can access the recording here: https://lnkd.in/gxjmJ5xP A recent article by Down To Earth titled, “Who is poor in India? — RTI reply to DTE shows government uncertain about defining poverty; no data on BPL households since 2013,” based on a Right to Information (RTI) query, has also revealed that poverty estimates have not been updated since the 2011-12 consumer expenditure survey, which reported 270 million people living below the poverty line. Read the news article: https://lnkd.in/g8_fRmgC