Reconnoitring the Relationship between Farm Size and Productivity and Economies of Scale in Agriculture in Eastern Uttar Pradesh

Abstract

An attempt was made to understand the recurrent debate about the relationship between returns to cultivation per hectare and size-class of land cultivated in eastern Uttar Pradesh using primary data collected from the five districts from each agro-climatic zones of the eastern region. The research showed the statistical validity of the farm size and crop productivity, which was a crucial exploration. The analysis was done separately for the relationship to the total value of agriculture output and yield of different crops grown in the study area. The empirical evidence proved the hypothesis that there was a negative association between land size and crop yield. The study further argued that the efficiency of the small-land holders must be taken with a pinch of salt because their low absolute returns bring into focus the question of their livelihood sustainability which was further aggravated on account of higher unit costs incurred. The first exercise in a series of proposed explorations into disaggregated analyses across the State of Uttar Pradesh and for specific crops opens the classic debate on farm size and productivity in the 21st century.