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Copenhagen Consensus Center

Is loan waiver a panacea for rural distress?

Loan waivers adversely affect marginal farmers due to a reduction of formal credit channels given to them.

How to improve agricultural productivity

New research published in MINT Newspaper highlights which policies will be most effective at improving agricultural productivity and farmer livelihoods. Small and marginal farmers in Andhra Pradesh, especially in th...

Solutions beyond farm loan waivers

Among all the states in India, Rajasthan has one of the lowest farmer suicide rates. However, this does not mean that farmers have been immune to increasing levels of agrarian distress. And last year’s farmer protes...

Nilanjan Banik Interview

Professor Nilanjan Banik discusses his three-fold approach to policy interventions that can truly benefit the farming community with Dr. Anurag Narayan Banerjee (Durham University Business School) and Dr. Buddhadeb ...

Andhra Jyothy reports on the findings from our research on Farmer Distress.

Andhra Jyothy reports on the findings from our research on Agriculture.

    Agriculture and Food Security

    During the fiscal year 2016-2017, the contribution of agriculture and allied sector was only 14% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), despite 58% of the Indian population relying on this sector for livelihood. India has around 260 million people living below the poverty line and 80% of them live in the countryside.

    Agriculture

    Written by agricultural economist Dr Surabhi Mittal, Independent Consultant and Non-Resident Fellow, Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture & Nutrition (TCI), Technical Assistance and Research for India Nutrition & Agriculture (TARINA). Dr Mittal analyses three policy interventions: certified seed production and promotion; introducing custom hiring centres for farming equipment; and expanding extension services using mobile technology.

    Water Resource Management

    Solutions for water scarcity in Andhra Pradesh are examined by Dr Dinesh Kumar, Executive Director of the Institute for Resource Analysis and Policy (IRAP), Hyderabad. Dr Kumar analyses two policies: one is expanding water transfer systems from areas with surplus water; the other is intensifying water saving measures by introducing drip irrigation and mulching.

    Farmer Distress

    Research by Professor Nilanjan Banik from Bennett University, Greater Noida studied responses to farmer distress in Andhra Pradesh examined three of the most relevant policy interventions: farm loan waiver program; improving cold storage infrastructure; and expanding local food processing facilities.

    Intervention in cold chain with an aim towards having a better post-harvest management results in economic benefits that far outweigh economic costs. Improper post-harvest management not only lead to crops and milk getting wasted, but also discourages small and marginal farmers to grow these high-value items. 

    - Nilanjan Banik

    Sector Expert Consultation

    On 26th Sept 2017, the sector expert consultation on Agriculture and allied sectors was held at the office of the Planning Department in AP Secretariat, Velagapudi. The consultation was organized in collaboration with the AP State Planning Board. Dr. B.Gangaiah, Member Secretary, AP State Planning Board chaired the meeting.

    Ranking Solutions in Terms of Social Value for Money

    Learn how the analysed interventions within Agriculture and Food Security compare to policy options in Andhra Pradesh across other social sectors in terms of social, economic and environmental benefits per rupee spent.