Food Security, Rural Livelihoods and Agricultural Change: Evidence from a Case Study of Potato Contract Farming in Maharashtra, India

Despite decades of sustained economic growth, food insecurity remains a seemingly intractable problem for many households in rural India. In recent years, food security has been elevated to pre-eminence in the political discourse of India with the passage of the much-debated National Food Security Bill (2013). At the same time, there has been a growing recognition among researchers that achieving food security in rural areas is not simply about solving food production or distribution problems, but rather addressing broader questions about household livelihood security (Pritchard et al, 2013).

Concurrently, the majority of rural Indian households continue to rely on smallholder agriculture as their primary livelihood activity. The nature of agriculture, however, is changing in India, as liberalisation policies open up the sector to domestic and foreign capital. One such change has been the spread of contract-farming schemes.  Where they operate, contract-farming schemes are changing the dynamics of smallholder agricultural production, as land owning households are increasingly exposed to modern inputs, technology and markets. These schemes present new opportunities for some households, yet it is unclear how these changes will influence patterns of social differentiation at various scales.

This paper discusses the nexus between household livelihoods, food security and modernising agriculture in rural India, using evidence from a case study of a potato contract-farming scheme in Maharashtra. The paper argues that by understanding agricultural change through a rural livelihoods lens, we can reveal the nuances of how rural households negotiate change specific to time and place, and who is in a position to benefit from such change. If we understand food security as primarily a livelihoods issue, then understanding how modernising agriculture is influencing patterns of social differentiation will be critical to the long-term food and livelihood security of India’s most vulnerable rural households.