Economic Reforms and Small Farms Implications for Production, Marketing and Employment

Comparing and contrasting the Indian states of Punjab and Bihar, this study argues that whereas Punjab farming has bright prospects for a new phase of corporatization, Bihar's agriculture is still caught in the web of subsistence farming. As it looks at the impact of recent agriculture-related policy changes on the emerging production, marketing, and earning status of small versus large farms, this analysis reveals how farmers’ opinions contend that only the large and mid-sized farms benefited from the reform process, and examines the potential for better reform.