Agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy, employing a significant portion of the country’s workforce and contributing significantly to the GDP. The Covid-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the agricultural sector in India, disrupting supply chains, affecting market prices, and posing significant challenges to farmers. However, the pandemic has also brought new opportunities for the sector to transform and adapt to the changing landscape. This research paper will examine the transformation of Indian agriculture during and post-COVID-19. First, technology implementation in Indian agriculture will be discussed, examining its ability to support growth and cope with adverse situations. Second, the farmer’s protest (2020-2021) and its impact on the development of Indian agriculture will be explored. Finally, it will examine the effects of COVID-19 on food security and dietary diversity in India.
Brief Summary of Sources
Many writers note that The COVID-19 pandemic has brought major transformations in Indian agriculture. For instance, it has improved the implementation of technology in Indian agriculture. According to Kumar, the COVID-19 pandemic has acted as a catalyst for innovation in the agri-tech sector in India. The author concludes that agri-tech companies have been able to create need-fulfilling tech products and services, resulting in evolutionary opportunities for suddenly open-to-tech Indian farmers since agri-networking platforms have increased by 30%(Para 2). Secondly, the authors argue that the 2020-2021 Indian farmers’ protests have also contributed immensely to the transformation of Indian agriculture. According to Lerche, the movement has a broad support base and aims to combat the threat that the farm laws and oppressive Hindu fundamentalist government pose to all social groups. The article concluded that the struggle for farm laws could disrupt the government’s political oppression beyond the agricultural sector but may not persist beyond the movement due to exploitation and oppression among its constituents. The fact that the protests could positively impact by offering reduced government pressure indicates that this is a major transformation for the Indian farmers (Lerche 12). Lastly, the COVID-19 pandemic had some major impacts on food security and dietary diversity in India. A study by Gupta et al. shows a decline in household food expenditures and women’s dietary diversity, especially for non-staples like meats, eggs, vegetables, and fruits. Despite special provisions, such as PDS and direct benefit transfers, reaching a significant proportion of households, there were still restrictions on food access and availability(Gupta et al. 160). These sources collectively show that the pandemic has brought positive and negative transformations to Indian agriculture.
Body
The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the Indian agriculture sector by implementing technology. The pandemic acted as a catalyst, pushing the agri-tech sector to innovate and quickly solve the uncertainties created by the lockdowns. The restriction of transportation led to severe supply chain disruption, making it difficult for farmers to work as usual due to a lack of essential inputs. As a result, farmers and businesses in the agricultural sector adopted digital agri-products and business-farmer digital networks to drive transactions(Kumar para 2). The adoption of online portals for discussing crop and cattle issues increased by 30% due to restricted access to on-ground advisory services. The sudden strict lockdown brought untold uncertainty, and it took some time for young companies to absorb the implications and rise to the challenge of the new normal. These companies had to find ways to communicate virtually with the users, informing and educating rural farmers about the advancements and usage of technological innovations and their services. The pandemic hastened the adoption of technologies like digitization, supply chain innovations, data analytics, and IoT, validating ideas like business-farmer networks, input e-commerce platforms, and agri-marketplaces, boosting investors’ confidence. Despite the positive impact of technology implementation in the agricultural sector, different areas within the agricultural sector have experienced different impacts. The pandemic had a major impact on food security and dietary diversity in India. There was a decline in household food expenditures and women’s dietary diversity, especially for non-staples like meats, eggs, vegetables, and fruits. Despite special provisions such as PDS and direct benefit transfers, reaching a significant proportion of households, there were still restrictions on food access and availability.
The 2020-2021 protests in India were led by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and focused on three farm acts passed by the Parliament of India in September 2020, which the protesters deemed “anti-farmer laws”. The acts were criticized for leaving farmers at the “mercy of corporates” and not ensuring a minimum support price (MSP) bill(“Farmers’ protest: Samyukta Kisan Morcha declares 19 November as ‘Fateh Diwas’”, par 1). The SKM demanded the repeal of the laws and the creation of an MSP bill. The protests brought together a broad coalition of farmers, agricultural labourers, and other marginalized groups, including Dalits and workers(Lerche 1381). The alliance between these groups was crucial in the success of the protests and has the potential to lead to enduring popular alliances across caste and class divides. The farm laws posed a serious threat to the agrarian livelihoods of farmers, particularly those in North India and other parts of the country where the government procurement system is in place. The laws were seen as a challenge to the profits of capitalist farmers at a time when non-agricultural livelihoods and accumulation opportunities were drying out for them. The partial move into non-agricultural work of farmers and agricultural labourers also facilitated an alliance with formal sector workers and informalized labour.
The impact of the farmers’ protest on the development of Indian agriculture is significant. The farmers’ protest highlighted India’s urgent need for agricultural reform. The struggle has made the government and the general public aware of the challenges farmers face in India, including the decline in land-holding sizes and the move out of agriculture (Lerche 1383). The protest has shown that farmers need support and that the government must ensure that reforms do not negatively impact their livelihoods. The farmers’ protest has also highlighted the need for broader alliances between different social groups in India. The struggle has shown that farmers, agricultural labourers, and other groups can unite to fight for their rights. The farmers’ movement has the potential to create enduring popular alliances across the caste-class divide between Dalit labourers and petty commodity producers, as well as agrarian capitalists from farming castes. Overall, the farmers’ protest in India was a broad-based and progressive struggle that brought attention to the challenges faced by farmers in India. The impact of the protest on the development of Indian agriculture is significant, and the struggle could create enduring popular alliances across the caste-class divide.
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted food security and dietary diversity in India, and the agricultural sector has been no exception. The pandemic has disrupted the entire food supply chain, from production to distribution to consumption, resulting in challenges for farmers, food processors, and consumers. The pandemic has led to a decline in agricultural production and supply chains, which has resulted in food insecurity in many parts of India (Gupta et al. 158). Supply chain disruptions have made it challenging for farmers to transport their crops to markets, decreasing their produce. Furthermore, lockdowns led to labour shortages, making it difficult for farmers to cultivate and harvest crops. The reduction in food availability affected dietary diversity, as people had to rely on limited food options due to the unavailability of certain foods(Gupta 158). This has resulted in increased reliance on staple foods, such as rice and wheat, and a decrease in the consumption of fruits and vegetables, essential for a healthy and balanced diet.
However, the pandemic has also presented an opportunity to transform the agricultural sector in India. The pandemic has highlighted the need for increased agricultural investments, especially in technology, infrastructure, and logistics. Investment in rural infrastructure such as roads, storage facilities, and marketplaces can improve the efficiency of the supply chain, reduce food waste, and increase market access for farmers(Gupta et al. 180). Furthermore, the pandemic has highlighted the importance of diversifying the agricultural sector to ensure food security and dietary diversity. Diversification can be achieved by promoting cultivating nutritionally rich crops with a longer shelf life, such as pulses, fruits, and vegetables. A study done by Jaacks et al. found that among the 16% of farmers who did report cultivating a different crop in 2020 as compared to 2019, during the covid period, many transitioned from growing rice to growing higher-value, nutrient-dense crops (vegetables), citing weather and the market price as underlying reasons. Diversification can help improve the availability and affordability of these foods, thus increasing their consumption and improving dietary diversity.
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the Indian agriculture sector in various ways and provided opportunities for transformation and adaptation. This paper has examined the transformations of Indian agriculture during and post-COVID-19. Technology implementation in the agricultural sector has been discussed, highlighting its ability to support growth and cope with adverse situations. The farmer’s protest of 2020-2021 and its impact on the development of Indian agriculture were also explored. Finally, the impact of COVID-19 on food security and dietary diversity in India was examined. The pandemic has transformed the Indian agriculture sector through the implementation of technology. The adoption of digital agri products and business-farmer digital networks has driven transactions and helped overcome the disruptions in the supply chain. The pandemic hastened the adoption of technologies like digitization, supply chain innovations, data analytics, and IoT. Despite the positive impact of technology on the agricultural sector, different areas within the sector have experienced different impacts. COVID-19 has also had a major impact on food security and dietary diversity in India, leading to declining household food expenditures and women’s dietary diversity. The 2020-2021 farmers’ protests in India have had a broad coalition of farmers, agricultural labourers, and other marginalized groups coming together to demand the repeal of the laws and the creation of a minimum support price (MSP) bill. The alliance between these groups was crucial in the success of the protests and has the potential to lead to enduring popular alliances across caste and class divides. Overall, the transformations in Indian agriculture due to COVID-19 are positive and negative. However, the pandemic has created new opportunities for the sector to transform and adapt to the changing landscape. It is essential to recognize the wider implications of these transformations and understand how they can be applied to similar issues in the future, not just in India but globally. The pandemic has highlighted the need for more resilient and sustainable food systems, and these transformations provide a framework for future improvements in the sector.
Works Cited
“Farmers’ protest: Samyukta Kisan Morcha declares 19 November as ‘Fateh Diwas’.” mint, www.livemint.com/news/india/farmers-protest-samyukta-kisan-morcha-declares-19-november-as-fateh-diwas-11668676091465.html. Accessed 27 March 2023.
Gupta, Soumya, et al. “COVID-19 and women’s nutrition security: panel data evidence from rural India.” Economia Politica, July 2021, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40888-021-00233-9.
Jaacks, Lindsay M., et al. “Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on agriculture in India: Cross-sectional results from a nationally representative survey.” PLOS Sustainability and Transformation, vol. 1, no. 8, Aug. 2022, p. e0000026, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pstr.0000026.
Kumar, Avinash. How agri-tech companies evolved during the pandemic & their impact on India’s agriculture. 2021.
Lerche, Jens. “The farm laws struggle 2020–2021: class-caste alliances and bypassed agrarian transition in neoliberal India.” The Journal of Peasant Studies, vol. 48, no. 7, Oct. 2021, pp. 1380–96, https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150.2021.1986013.
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