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The Changing Agricultural Demography of India

Evidence from a Rural Youth Perception Survey

Amrita Sharma is a consultant at the IWMI-Tata Water Policy Programme at Anand, Gujarat. E-mail: a.sharma31{at}gmail.com

The demography of Indian agriculture is changing fast. There are clear signs of people fast moving out of agriculture, especially in the form of rural youth practicing farming part-time and ageing of the farmer population in several pockets of the country. Given the current growth performance of Indian economy, such changes in agriculture are only expected to intensify. What would Indian agriculture look like in 2025/2050? Who will stay and who will move on? In an attempt to answer these questions, this article takes a look at one of the leading indicators and important demographic trends in Indian agriculture, that is, withdrawal of rural youth from farming, covering 14 locations in 13 states across the country.

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International Journal of Rural Management, Vol. 3, No. 1, 27-41 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/097300520700300102


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This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Sharma, A. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?