Condition of farmers of

Uttarakhand and Karnataka

During British period
Prepared by :
 Britishers were keen on establishing a monopoly in India. They
saw India as a means to drive their home country towards a state
of unmatched power. Colonisers drew out every ounce of Indian
resource and every drop of Indian blood for their selfish motives.
Such was the state of exploitation.

The colonial  During the British rule also the Indian economy remained
agrarian. Rough estimates claim that about 85% of the
Saga economy derived their livelihood directly or indirectly from
agriculture. Though, unlike the pre-colonial India, the feature
of self-sufficiency vanished in the colonial state. This led to
various famines which the colonizers paid no heed to provided
it didn’t affect their profit margins. Effectively, the agricultural
sector continued to experience deterioration and stagnation,
particularly marked by low levels of agricultural productivity.
 The Indian agricultural sector, which supported almost the entire economy, went
towards stagnation. There was a negligible introduction of reforms to ensure an
increase in productivity. On the contrary, the Britishers continued to extract
profits which broke the knees of Indian agricultural sector.

The major cause of this sorry state of Indian agriculture was the various land
Stagnation of settlement systems of the colonial government. The highlight of this was the
zamindari system which was practiced in the then Bengal presidency. Under
Agricultural Sector this, the majority of profits went to the zamindars instead of the cultivators,
ultimately filling up the pockets of their colonial bosses.
during British Rule
 Just like their colonial masters, the zamindars did nothing to improve the
state of agriculture. They were only concerned with collecting rent despite
the economic condition and the plight of the cultivators. However, the
revenue settlement policy particularly fuelled this ruthless nature adopted by
the zamindars. Under this, the rent can be paid until a fixed date, failing
which their colonial masters would take away all their rights.
 Indian economy is agriculture established, or we can assert that
India is a farming economy. This is apparent from the evidence that
the national revenue of India contains 70% of the revenue
developed from agribusiness.

Since independence, the frugality was 95% pendant on agriculture,

Agriculture in and the income attained from agriculture. It is beneficial to speak of
that around 85% of the community was residing in townlet and the
Uttarakhand only norms of subsistence farmings.

 Remarkable agriculture, the circumstance of the Indian economy

on the eve of sovereignty was disappointing. Agriculture, straight
after prevailing the most significant sector, was confronting
economic erosion and stagnation in the economizing.
  Agriculture is a significant contributor to Uttarakhand’s Gross
State Domestic Product (11% in 2011-12). It is the chief source
of livelihood for over 70% of its population. Commercial
agriculture is practiced in the plains and the hill farmers are
Agriculture in predominantly engaged in subsistence farming. Major crops
grown in the state are rice, wheat, sugarcane, maize, soybean,
Uttarakhand pulses, oilseeds and a number of fruits and vegetables.
Uttarakhand has four agro-climatic zones covering six
altitudinal farming approaches, which means there is potential
to grow a wide variety of crops within the State.
 Karnataka agriculture is one of the most essential attribute of
Karnataka economy. The topography of Karnataka such as the city’s
relief, soil, and climate immensely supports the agricultural activities
in Karnataka.

 Karnataka’s relief, soil conditions, and climate jointly contributes

Agriculture in in growing crops in the city. Agriculture is considered to be one of
the primary occupations for the inhabitants of Karnataka.
Karnataka Majority of the people in Karnataka are involved in growing
crops especially in the rural areas. Agriculture in Karnataka has
occupied around 12.31 million hectares of land, that includes 64.6
percent of the total area. The 2001 enumeration accounts for
about 71 percent employment as farmers and agricultural
laborers. The main season for agriculture in Karnataka is
monsoon as irrigation is done in only 26.5 percent of the total
cropped area.
 Karnataka is divided in ten agro-climatic zones, taking into consideration the rainfall pattern, soil types,
texture, depth and physio-chemical properties, elevation, topography, major crops and the type of
vegetation. The contribution of Agriculture sector to the overall GSDP saw an increase from 12.16% to
13.15% in 2020-21 against 2019-20.1 About 30% of the total workers in the state are still engaged in
agricultural and allied sector activities (Census 2011) which accounts for approximately 8.73 per cent of
the Karnataka’s Gross State Value Added (GSVA) for the year 2019-20 (at constant prices).

Karnataka is the Coffee Capital of India producing 70% of India’s output. Karnataka is the leader in
horticulture and floriculture business. The state is the largest exporter of Gherkins and Flowers in the
country. Karnataka is the largest producer of coffee, raw silk, sandalwood, ragi (finger millet),

Agriculture in sunflower, tomato and India’s second largest producer of maize, safflower, grapes, pomegranate and
onions. The state ranks fifth in India in terms of total area under horticulture. It stands fifth in production

Karnataka of vegetable crops and third in fruit crop production. It is also the largest producer of spices, aromatic
and medicinal crops and tropical fruits. It is the second largest milk-producing state after Gujarat.

 The state mainly follows a rice-based cropping pattern. Major crop alternatives to rice are ragi, bajra,
cotton, groundnut, jowar and maize. Other important crops are wheat and minor millets and pulses
like tur, Bengal gram, horse gram, black gram, green gram, cowpea etc. Oilseeds include groundnut,
sesame, sunflower, soybean and sunflower. Commercial crops include sugarcane in the eastern
region, cotton in the north-western region and tobacco. Cashew, coconut, areca nut (southern
region), cardamom, and chillies are other important crops. The Western Ghats are well known for
coffee and tea plantations while maize is grown mainly in the northern region of the state. Due to its
climate, the coastal region is favourable for the cultivation of fruit orchards.