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economics of on-farm development - Institute for Social and ...

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While the ec<strong>on</strong>omic benefits <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> canal irrigati<strong>on</strong> are widely appreciated in<br />

the literature, there are also evidences highlighting the c<strong>on</strong>centrati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> benefit's<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> green revoluti<strong>on</strong> in certain regi<strong>on</strong>s <strong>and</strong> that too favouring specific <strong>farm</strong>er<br />

groups. In this regard. Singh (1997) shows that the Green Revoluti<strong>on</strong> as a means<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> enhancing agricultural productivity has, in turn. led to a spurt in agro-based<br />

industrial activities, in the <strong>for</strong>m <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> pumps, tractors, harvesters, etc. as also<br />

expansi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> certain sectors like cement <strong>and</strong> steel required <strong>for</strong> the c<strong>on</strong>structi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

large irrigati<strong>on</strong> projects. The introducti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> large scale canal irrigati<strong>on</strong><br />

particularly large dams. could change the ecology <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the regi<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> provide the<br />

required water <strong>for</strong> water- intensive green revoluti<strong>on</strong> crops that could not have<br />

been grown in the regi<strong>on</strong> earlier. Further. the HYV based new agricultural<br />

strategy (NAS), which was aimed at productivity enhancement, has in the<br />

process. led to the gross neglect <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> ecological issues which emerged in course <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

time, making agro-ecosystems unsustainable.<br />

In spite <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> phenomenal increase in investment in irrigati<strong>on</strong>, its impact <strong>on</strong><br />

private investment has been discouraging, particularly, since the early 80s <strong>and</strong><br />

had led to a debate as to how this trend could be tackled. For instance. Mishra<br />

<strong>and</strong> Ch<strong>and</strong> (1995); Mishra <strong>and</strong> Hazell (1996) <strong>and</strong> Mitra (1996) have shown that<br />

private investment has been rising despite the c<strong>on</strong>tinued decline in public<br />

investment. This problem <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> movement <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> public <strong>and</strong> private investments In<br />

diverse directi<strong>on</strong>s instigated a c<strong>on</strong>troversy regarding the weakening <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

complementarity between the two. Invalidating this positi<strong>on</strong>. Dhawan (1996.<br />

1997. 1998, <strong>and</strong> 2000) brings <strong>for</strong>th an important policy implicati<strong>on</strong> that private<br />

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