South Asia: India, Giant of the Subcontinent - Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East and Southeast Asia - page 230

Figure 8-11
Man and water buffalo harrowing a rice paddy in
Orissa. This action helps to break up the lumps of
clay-like soil. Rice cultivation relies heavily on
human and animal labor . Photograph courtesy of
B. A. Weightman.

economic system. It was a centuries-old social
contract rooted in caste relationships and practiced
among Sikhs and non-Sikhs alike. It required a
certain decorum and specific exchange relationships
including water, tea, and food.
With the advent of high-yielding varieties
(HYV), the one-twentieth share became greater
from the HYV fields than the traditional variety
fields. Furthermore, some farmers could afford
tractors and no longer needed Harijan labor on
their large plots. With concomitant economic
growth in towns and cities, and extended bus
routes, many Harijans sought urban employment.
Newfound wealth meant that Harijans no longer
had to accede to Jat requirements or even requests.
Jats purchased motor scooters; Harijans bought
bicycles. Activity spaces were expanded, and
Harijan-Jat social distance was extended. The
intergroup ceremony and camaraderie surrounding
the harvest disappeared.
More tube wells were installed, and under-
ground pipes reduced evaporation. Rice was grown
in addition to wheat. With quick-maturing seeds
(e.g., 60-day lentil), triple-cropping became possi-
ble. When labor was needed, migrant workers from
the Gangetic plain were hired until that source
dried up. Now many Jats do their own labor and
must work longer hours to support all their essen-
tial equipment. There is a rising level of debt—
some Jats sell their land in fear of bankruptcy . Rich

landowners buy these parcels, circumventing
property-holding limitations by registering titles
among family members. Small farmers cannot
compete and ultimately sell out. Large landowners
cannot function efficiently without tractors, and
many become overburdened with debt. T Technological
change alters social circumstances. Clearly , the pros
and cons of these changes are in the eyes of the
beholders.

INDIA 'S FOOD SECURITY
Outright famine has not plagued India for decades.
However, food insufficiencies and malnutrition remain
troublesome in many areas, especially when distribution
networks fail or costs are prohibitive. A critical contrib-
utor to improved food supply in India was the 1966
Green Revolution, which began in Punjab with high-
yielding varieties (HYV) of wheat and in Tamil Nadu
with HYV rice.
But scientific improvements have not been equitably
distributed, and they benefit different crops in different
ways. In the case of wheat, for instance, Punjab, Haryana,
and western Uttar Pradesh have benefited most because
of suitable irrigation water supply . In the case of rice,
Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andra Pradesh, and Jammu and
Kashmir have profited most. Other rice-growing states or
regions with variable rainfall and inadequate water storage
and distribution systems use a different approach. There,
farmers plant a rabi (dry season, winter) HYV wheat crop.