Demographic Changes, Agricultural Intensification, and Rural Sustainable Livelihood in Rain-fed and Irrigated Agro-Ecosystems of India

Abstract

Agricultural demographic changes along with policy-led agricultural transformation initiatives induce variable responses of farming systems through influencing land and labour productivities. Demographic responses and changes included declined fertility and relatively higher growth of rural adults as compared to total rural population while share of cultivators in total agricultural workers declined in relatively densely populated irrigated AES. With relatively low opportunity cost of land, rain-fed agro-ecosystem is improving land productivity through irrigation and fertilizer led intensification of agriculture combining more land allocated to fine cereals along with mechanization of farm operations and increased area under fruits and vegetables. Having relatively higher land productivity, the irrigated agro-ecosystem sustained area under fine cereals along with commercialization of farm activities through better mechanization and relatively higher increased area under fruits & vegetables.Population planning, skill development, and rural youth employment must form part of any rural development and rural sustainable livelihood strategy to exploit population dividend and as well as address the issues of ageing agricultural population across agro-ecosystems. Better utilization of created irrigation potential along with development of ground water is the priority area of investment in rain-fed areas to facilitate agricultural intensification. The priority area of investment in the irrigated agro-ecosystem is improved marketing infrastructure and storage facilities to accelerate commercialization of agriculture. As non-farm employment and farm mechanization is on rise in both ago-ecosystems, government policies and support to farm machinery and related services would be essential to improve agricultural labour productivity, encourage economic diversification, and facilitate rural sustainable livelihood.