Institutional Alternatives and Governance of Agriculture

As globalization and declining state support pose new challenges to Indian agriculture, this study examines the ways in which the Indian farm sector can integrate small farm households into the larger Indian and global markets. Looking at past and present agricultural policies, major obstacles are identified and new strategies are explored for meeting the challenges of global competition through vertical coordination and contract farming. This examination argues that success would not only benefit the individual farming households in India, but would help alleviate poverty and deprivation throughout rural India.