PI: Dr. Sourindra Mohan Ghosh
Co PI: Dr. Nivedita Sharma (OPJGU)
Funding Agency/s OR Institution/s: NABARD
Started from: 16 May, 2025

Brief Description 

Global agricultural transformations have generated new challenges and opportunities for farmers in developing countries. The reduction of trade barriers and changing dietary patterns have fuelled the growth of quick-service restaurants and food retail chains that increasingly depend on contract production for procurement flexibility and quality assurance. Recognizing the growing role of private sector participation in agricultural markets, the Government of India amended the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act in 2003 to enable alternative marketing mechanisms such as contract farming (CF). CF has since become widespread across Indian states and agencies—public, private, and multinational—covering a range of crops and livestock products. However, limited multi-state research exists on the diverse CF models employed by companies, their engagement with farmers across socio-economic groups, and the related risks, benefits, and capacity-building needs. The pilot study (Phase I) will lay the foundation for the main research project titled “Understanding the Practice of Contract Farming in India: Implications for Firms, Farmers, and Policy.” It will examine state-level agricultural marketing systems, identify CF clusters, map key crops and companies, and document farmer participation. Village-level field surveys across seven states will generate baseline data to inform the design of the main study.

PI: Dr. Ankita Goyal
Associated Staff: Jaya Lekshmi Nair & Gitesh Sinha
Funding Agency/s OR Institution/s: BN Yugandhar Centre for Rural Studies, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Administrative Academy, Mussourie
Time Period: June 2024 to April 2025

Brief Description 

The main objectives were to understand the issues of implementing land records modernization programme and other new initiative taken by the Nodal Ministry of Govt. of India. The study aimed to explore the challenges of land record modernization in areas including ADC and tribal-hilly areas, conflicts between various institutions/ laws/ practices, identify gaps and best practices. The study involved primary as well as secondary data collection and analysis along with a thorough desk research regarding the functioning of the ADC and non-ADC areas in the state of Assam. The field based survey was conducted in six districts of Assam, namely, Dima Hasao, Karbi Anglong, Bodoland Territorial Region, Sonitpur, Cachar and Dibrugarh. Primary data collection involves a ‘top to bottom’ approach, beginning with the State level department officials followed by interviews with the district level officials to understand the district specific issues related to the land governance, the challenges faced as well as any regional initiatives undertaken at each of the six districts. Subsequently, two blocks from each district and from each block one village were randomly selected for household level data collection. 50 households from each village have been surveyed, thus making a sample of 300 households from the six selected districts. Various tools used for primary data collection included structured households schedules, semi-structure questionnaires for carious department officials, FGDs as well as Case Studies.

While the ADC and non-ADC areas have different systems of land records; even within ADC areas, the system of land records varies across all the three ADCs. It is important to make guidelines regarding land records digitization specific to the ADC, while keeping in mind the customary/ traditional practices followed in each of the tribes. Each one of the ADC is at a different level of land record keeping and thus needs a special focus for which the first step would be to generate awareness among the Councils as well as the people and give them confidence that their autonomy will not be affected. None of the ADCs has women representatives, which is recommended through the study.

PI: Dr. Susmita Mitra
Co-PIs: Dr. Sudipta Kumar Mishra and Dr. Pradeep K. Mehta
Associated Staff: Dr. Dhiman Debsarma & Gitesh Sinha
Funding Agency/s OR Institution/s: ICSSR
Time Period: January 2024 to August 2025

Brief Description 

The Objectives are to examine socioeconomic determinants influencing micro-irrigation (MI) adoption, quantify the economic benefits of MI systems, analyse variations in knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) among adopters and to assess the impact of policies and interventions—subsidies, training, infrastructure, institutional reforms—on MI adoption. Conducted a survey of 500 farmers in selected districts of Rajasthan and Haryana. Used logistic regression to identify socioeconomic, institutional, spatial, and social-networking determinants of MI adoption. Quantified economic benefits by comparing adopters and non-adopters on costs, yields, and net returns (Chi-square test). Measured adopters’ KAP through 10-item Likert-like scales and analysed influencing factors. Applied agent-based modelling (ABM) to simulate adoption under alternative policy and intervention scenarios.

The findings of the study are (1) MI adoption is shaped by socio-demographic (age, gender, education), household (landholding, income, electricity), social (media exposure, group membership), institutional (Kisan Samman Nidhi, official behaviour), and spatial (groundwater depth) factors,  (2) Adopters achieve reduced input costs and higher yields in wheat and mustard, confirming experimental and field-level benefits. (3) High KAP scores are associated with education, digital access, organizational membership, income, and training. (4) ABM simulations show that subsidies, awareness drives, nudging strategies, and stronger institutional support significantly raise adoption rates.

Showcase local success stories, build positive perceptions, ensure post-installation maintenance, strengthen institutional support, and integrate training into subsidy schemes to scale up adoption.

Project Director: Dr. Ankita Goyal, Co-PD: Dr. Nivedita Sharma
Associated Academic Staff: Ms. Jayalekshmi Nair
Funding Agency/s OR Institution/s: Planning Department, Government of Delhi
Time Period: September 2021 to August 2022

Brief Description 

The study was primarily field based with secondary data used to corroborate the findings from the field. The study undertakes primary survey of 1,000 farmers spread over different districts of Delhi covering various aspects of farming. Further, in-depth interviews were taken of 35 farmers and 15 intermediaries through semi-structured schedules to understand the challenges faced by them. It further explored the farmers’ aspirations for the future.

It was seen that the majority of the farmers keep their land fallow in Kharif season since there is a problem in supply of water and paddy requires huge amounts of water for cultivation. Even in Rabi season, due to the problem of underground water, some of the farmers of West Delhi do only one round of irrigation even though their crop requires at least two rounds. This affects the yield of their crop. Apart from the problem of irrigation and non-selling of produce at MSP, the major challenges faced by the farmers is of increasing input prices, including labour, fertilisers and diesel.

Recommendations:

The main recommendations from the study included that the Delhi farmers, who remain inconspicuous in the face of rampant urbanisation and absence of policy support, should be given their due share in terms of better agriculture infrastructure, subsidised inputs, availability of credit and assured procurement by the government. Instead of wheat and paddy, farmers can be encouraged to grow horticulture crops.

Project Director: Dr. Nivedita Sharma
Associated Academic Staff:  Dr. Poornima. M, Ms. Ramandeep Kaur, Ms. Jayalekshmi Nair
Funding Agency/s OR Institution/s: CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd.
Time Period: June 2019 to November 2020

Brief Description 

In order to promote savings and investments in the rural economy, various measures like Investors Awareness Programmes (IAPs) are undertaken in India to enhance the financial literacy of rural citizens. IAP is an initiative that is implemented by Common Service Centre (CSC) e-Governance Services India Limited, the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), in collaboration with the Investor Education and Protection Fund (IEPF), Ministry of Corporate Affairs. The study was undertaken to evaluate the impact of IAP in rural India and verify the awareness level among the marginalised sections, showcase positive case studies and also make suggestions for improvement. The study is based on a telephonic survey in 19 states and field survey in three states. The telephonic survey covered 3,411 beneficiaries while, the field survey covered 150 of them. IAP has demonstrated significant success in enhancing financial literacy and promoting prudent financial practices among rural populations across India. The program effectively targeted marginalized groups, including low-income individuals with limited education and women, resulting in notable improvements in financial awareness and behaviors such as household budgeting and savings. Critically, while IAP has successfully instilled basic financial skills and awareness, its impact on deeper financial literacy, such as understanding complex financial products or planning for long-term financial goals, remains limited. Looking forward, enhancing the inclusivity of IAP by addressing the specific needs of senior citizens and other vulnerable groups is crucial. Current observations indicate that these groups often feel neglected by the program, pointing to a gap that requires attention in future program designs.

Project Director: Prof Ashok Pankaj
Associated Academic Staff: Dr Susmita Mitra, Dr Ankita Goyal, Ms Antora Borah
Funding Agency/s OR Institution/s: NIRD, MoRD, Govt. of India
Time Period: 1-31 July 2019

Project Director: Prof Ashok Pankaj
Associated Academic Staff: Dr Hem Boker, Dr Susmita Mitra, Mr Gitesh Sinha
Funding Agency/s OR Institution/s: UNDP
Time Period: May to July, 2019

Project Director: Dr. Poornima. M
Associated Academic Staff: Ms Antora Borah, Ms Ramandeep Kaur, Mr. Gitesh Sinha
Funding Agency: CSE E-Governance Services India Ltd., Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
Time Period: July to November 2018

Funding Agency: NIRD, Hyderabad
Project Director: Prof Ashok Pankaj
Associated Academic Staff: Dr.Mondira Bhattacharya, Dr Sushmita Mitra, Mr.Rajinder Singh
Funding Agency/s OR Institution/s:
Time Period: December 2017 to July 2018

Project Director: Prof Dipak Dasgupta
Associated Academic Staff:
Funding Agency/s OR Institution/s: ICSSR
Time Period: April 2017 to March 2018

Funding Agency: Foundation for Ecological Security
Project Director: Dr T Haque
Associated Academic Staff: Dr Ankita Goyal
Funding Agency/s OR Institution/s:
Time Period: June – September 2018

1. Transformations in Agrarian Relations in the Times of Agrarian Crisis and Well-Being of Small and Marginal Farmers and Landless Labourers (2016).
2. Socio-Economic Impacts of Category-B Assets under MGNREGS: Income and Livelihood Promotion among Para – 5 Beneficiaries (2016).
3. Study on Access to Institutional Credit by Farmers in Eastern India (2016).
4. Climate Change and Agrarian Crisis: Implications of Rice Cultivation in West Bengal (2015).
5. Impact of Organic Farming on Agricultural Productivity, Profitability and Sustainability: A Case Study of AP, Kerala and Bihar (2015).
6. Study on Access to Institutional Credit to Small and Marginal Farmers with Special Reference to SC/ST Farmers (2015).
7. Land & Livelihood Initiatives – Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Karnataka and West Bengal (2014).
8. Land Governance Assessment Framework (LGAF – India) (2014).
9. The Crisis of the Indian Left and Social Development Issues (2014).
10. Role of National Food Security Mission in Improving Agricultural Productivity in selected districts (2013).
11. Institutional Credit Farm Productivity and Farm Distress (2013).
12. Socio-economic Benefit Survey of TEGRATM Technology and SIRI Farming methods (2013).
13. A Study of the Status and Impact of land leasing on agricultural efficiency and equity: Case Study of AP, Bihar, UP (2012).
14. Study on Extraction of Natural Resources and Patterns of Industralization (2012).
15. Preparation of Backwardness Index and Ranking of all the CD Blocks in the country (2012).
16. Validation Survey of FINISH Sanitation Programme in the Villages/Slums of Gwalior (2012).
17. Socio-economic Impact Assessment of Bt.cotton in India (2012).
18. Agriculture Development in Bihar: Challenges & Opportunities (2011).
19. Social Impacts of Right to work: An Assessment of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (2011).
20. Land Acquisition in Green revolution areas and perceptions of farmers (2011).
21. Homesteadlessness and State Interventions in Bihar (2011).
22. An economic analysis of yield gaps in principal crops in various regions of India (2011).
23. Transformation and Friction in Globalizing India (2011).
24. Constraints and Potentials of Diversified Agricultural Dev. In Eastern India (2010).
25. Economic Analysis of yield Gaps in Principal Crops in India (2010).
26. Social Impact Assessment of Rehabilitation & Resettlement Policies and Packages in India (2010).
27. Promotion of Homestead Plot initiatives (2009).
28. A Village level study of Education and Land Pattern in Munda Tribe Jharkhand (2008).
29. Canal Irrigation, Land Degradation and Margianlisation: A Case Study of Allahabad District (2008).
30. Poverty Eradication a structural-political perspective (2008).
31. Changing patterns of socio-economic life of a village in Delhi (2008).
32. Access to Land: A Case of Fishing Community in Kerala (2008).
33. Initiative towards environmentally and socially sensitive development of the Birhor area of Jharkhand (2008).
34. Study on the Aspirations and Perceptions of the people in Orissa on displacement and R&R (2008).
35. Socio-economic conditions of slum dwellers in Resettlement Colony: A Case Study (2007).
36. District Poverty Initiatives Programme (DPIP) Barana, Rajasthan (2006).
37. Effects of Forest Use on Bio-diversity Conservation Values as seen in Bird Communities of Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan (2006).
38. Social Justice and Backward Castes in Bihar (2006).
39. Socio economic conditions of resident tea garden labourers in Darjeeling hills : a pilot study (2006).
40. Interrogating the Pattern of Development: A Study in Three Districts of Western Orissa (2006).
41. Evaluation of State Resource Centre, Bhopal (2006).
42. Assessment of Watershed Development Programme with Special Reference to Marginal Farmers & Landless Households (2005).
43. Concurrent Evaluation of Swaran Jayanti Gram Swarogzar Yojana of Uttaranchal (2004).
44. Designing the operational Modalities of a Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanism for Sikkim (2004).
45. Globalisation and the poor: Sustaining Rural Livelihood in India (Trilateral Project in Collaboration with JNU Univ. of Guelph) (2004).
46. Land alienation of tribals in Dumka and Ranchi districts of Bihar (1997).
47. Report on concurrent evaluation of integrated rural development programme (5th round) for Himachal Pradesh (1997).
48. Evaluation Study of Allotment of Surplus Land under Land Reforms Programme in Gujarat (1994).
49. A Diagnostic Study of Child Marriages in Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh (1994).
50. A Study of Social Attitudes towards Noise Pollution in Delhi (1984).
51. Indicative plan and feasibility reports for Harchandpur Development block, district Rae Bareli (Uttar Pradesh) (1981).
52. Basic needs and the provision of government services: a plan of action – block-Ranaghat II, District Nadia, West Bengal (1979).
53. Indicative Plan for Hilauli Block, District Unnao, Uttar Pradesh (1979).
54. Report on the identification of a project for rural reconstruction of Murar block, district Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) (1979).
55. Ranaghat rural development project: Anchals-Nokari, Debagram, Baidyapur, Majhergram, Block Ranaghat-II, Nadia District, West Bengal : Part II, Part III (1978).
56. Guidelines for Block Level Planning: Central Research Cell Pilot Research Project in Growth Centers (1974).
57. Shadnagar standard fertility survey (1967 August-1972 July) (1972).
58. Preparation of child for modernization India: A preliminary analysis (1970).