Crop–livestock systems in rural development: linking India's Green and White Revolutions

Abstract

In discussions on agricultural transformations produced by Green Revolution technologies, an exclusive focus on crops has led to incomplete understanding of the value of livestock in rural economies. The incorporation of crop–livestock systems seems even more pertinent in the context of India, given that the Green Revolution here was also accompanied by a White Revolution in dairying. This paper explicates the links between India's Green and White Revolutions by juxtaposing international and national policies of rural development with village-level practices of cropping and dairying. It begins by comparing the Green and White Revolutions in India, both the dissimilarities that marked their origins and how the White Revolution subsequently grappled with a notion of productivity mirroring that of the Green Revolution. Two village-level case studies then illustrate how dependence on both crops and cattle shape rural livelihoods in ways that require an interrelated understanding of Green–White Revolutions. Overall, this paper shows how the socio-economic and environmental value of crop–livestock farming is valuable for understanding the complexities of small-scale livelihoods, and suggests lessons for building sustainable programmes of rural development.