Book Review

Sustainable Rural Development and Agriculture

The book ‘Sustainable Rural Development and Agriculture’ by Ashok Kumar Jain highlights the role of rural development and agriculture in making Viksit Bharat The agriculture sector in India contributes about 17.4% of GDP and engages 55% of India’s workforce. On the other hand, urban sector contributes the GDP about 4 times the rural, while engaging half of the rural population. This indicates the dichotomy of rural and urban incomes, which needs to be addressed in the plans of Viksit Bharat by the year 2047.

The book ‘Sustainable Rural Development and Agriculture’ in its 11 chapters covers a wide canvas, viz. Challenges of Rural Development, Sustainable and Climate Resilient Agriculture, Spatial Surveys, Mapping and Analytics. Rural Development Planning and Infrastructure, Rural Housing, Sustainable Energy, Sustainable Water Management, Biodiversity, Landscape and Urban Farming, Environmental Services, Conservation of Rural Heritage, and Disaster Resilience. These have been explained in a simple language. The pragmatic examples provide reference points for understanding the nuts and bolts of the sustainable rural development and climate resilient agriculture.

The author emphasises that it is time to focus upon climate resilient and precision agriculture, together with adoption of new technologies for weather forecast, efficient water and fertiliser use. The optimisation strategies should focus not only on crop production and quality, but also reduce the inputs, labour, time and resources, and climate and disaster management by leveraging new technologies such as GIS, GPS mapping, digital twins, satellite/ drone imagery and artificial intelligence. Digital technology and AI are changing the planning and management from a reporting function into a foresighting function for predictive decisions and focus on outcome rather than administration. Having worked as an Eminent Citizen with the Ministry of Rural Development, the author in his book provides a synthesis of academic knowledge and practical experience.

According to A.K. Jain, the author, the rural-urban gap is not only in incomes, but also in education, healthcare, sanitation, infrastructure services, roads, transport, water, energy and technology. On an average rural women spend 5 hours in a day for cooking and suffer from respiratory, lung and other ailments due to smoke, reflecting environmental and gender injustice. This necessitates a deep concern and paradigm shift towards rural development, governance and financing.

The Central Government has launched several flagship schemes of rural development and agriculture, such as Viksit Bharat -GRAM-G (that had recently replaced the MGNREGA), Jan Jeevan Mission, PM Awas Yojana, Livelihood Mission, Poshan, Ayushman Bharat, SBM-Rural, Watershed Programme, Solar Power, Fisheries, Lakhpati Didi, Telecom Infrastructure, Gram Swaraj, Agro-Infra Fund, Handloom Development, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Rurban

Mission, Svamitra, and Adi-Adarsh Gram Yojana. Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin) under which 20.5 million houses are being built. The author emphasises the need to establish linkages between rural and urban development, and between sustainability and conservation for which invoking new technologies.

As summed up by K.J. Alphons in his Foreword, ‘Ashok Kumar Jain’s book juxtaposes the phenomenon and positionality of evidence, economy and ecology. It weaves commonalities strand by strand in what emerges as a rich array of interconnected themes under one cover. The author has integrated the diverse issues of rural development and agriculture comprehensively, concisely and clearly. The text has been lavishly illustrated that lightens its denseness and makes the reading easier and interesting’.