Kevin Martinez

Professor Juned Shaikh

TA Wilson Miu

HIST 44 Modern South Asia

6 December 2022

Final Exam

Situated on a highly fertile swath of land, the Indian subcontinent has throughout history

been a centre for agricultural prosperity regardless of the kingdom or religion that rules it.

However, since the economy of any ruling party in India relied so heavily on agriculture, each

time someone new came into power they had their own system in place to utilize the agricultural

sector to its highest potential. From the Mansabdari system in place during the rule of the

Mughal empire, all the way until the British East India Company took control, there was much

change and shifting in agriculture over the centuries.

Prior to the rise of Muhammad Akbar, the Mughal ruler responsible for much of the

expansion of the Mughal empire during the late 16th century, land was passed down between

nobles in a system similar to other kingdoms around the world. They tended to stay in that family

through generations even if they weren’t benefiting the empire. However, after coming in to

power, Akbar established the mansabdari system which redefined the ways that property was

held. It was now up to Akbar to grant jagirs, literally meaning “land grants”, to mansabdars who

were paid for the upkeep and use of the land for agricultural purposes. This system was

successful for a large portion of Akbar’s rule, only facing large systemic issues during the time

of his successor Jahangir and later Aurangzeb. However, the seeds for discontent were planted

from its conception as the demand placed on the peasant class was unproportionatly high. In
Modern South Asia, Bose and Jalal write, “There can be little doubt that, as in other

contemporary agrarian empires, the revenue demand on the peasantry was high, perhaps as much

as a third of the product”(37). The mansabdari system would slowly lose stability until

Aurngzeb’s reign when the the number of high ranking mansabdars grew too high which led to a

decline in allegiance to the emperor.

By the time the British Crown had seized control of India through the British East India

Company, their role as a agricultural subcontinent was in the midst of changing as a result of

their imperial rulers. By essentially seizing the export industry from local sellers Britain was able

to sell all of India’s most prized crops at their discretion. As the 1850s began “India was

systematically cast into the role of exporter of agricultural raw materials, such as cotton, jute, tea,

coffee, wheat and oil seeds”(Bose and Jalal 87). While this was of course damaging to the Indian

farmers and other citizens who relied on the agricultural industry, whether for the income or for

food, the worst change cause by British control would take place during the Second World War.

The most afflicted area was the province of Bengal which at the time was undertaking military

construction as ordered by the British crown which was in the midst of fighing against the Axis

threat. As efforts were shifted away from agriculture and the Bengali were left neglected

“agricultural labourers and smallholding peasants lost their entitlement to food in their

millions”(Bose and Jalal 141). Though publcized minimally this famine would kill an estimated

3.5 to 3.8 million people in the last year of the war alone.

Currently there is still ongoing changes in the large agricultural economy of India. As

recently as 2020 there have been laws passed on contract farming which a company will

approach a farmer with a specific crop they want with quality specifications and an advance on a

fixed quota. While this may sound very benfiecial to farmers as they receive a large payout up
fron and are able to use production services often supplied by the “sponsor”, the risks and

potential corruption keep it from being pro-farmer. Due to the advance which can often it large

in quantity, the chance of a bad production means that farmers can easily be put into debt due to

a poor harvest. Another issue affecting agriculture is a lack of sanitary and phytosanitary

measures. As stated in the National Commision on Farmer’s report, “invasive weeds, pests and

diseases have been introduced in the country along with grain, seed and planting material

imports. About 50, important pests not yet in India, but found in the trading partner countries,

could enter our country if not checked and destroyed at the border”(ECF 22). For a country that

relies so heavily on the agriculture industry, the prevention of outside ailments that could

negatively impact such operations should be a top priority, especially when there is so much

trade with foreign nations.

In conclusion, though India has been a agricultural land since it was little more than a

collection of warrring kingdoms, there have always been systems in place and problems

afflicting them that have permeated its entire existance. Nevertheless, in its current state India

has a strong agriculture based economy, free from the shackles of colonialism and open to

conduct trade as the country sees fit. Despite facing current issues such as the looming threat of

contract farming to small farmers and a lack of regulations in strict place to prevent an ecological

disaster, India will continue to thrive in the agriculural sphere as it has always done.