Articles by N S Jodha

In an article in 1988, the author argued that number oriented largescale surveys on income failed to give a correct idea about the extent of poverty; they left out qualitative and a part of quantifiable detail. A recent working paper from the Institute of Development Studies comments on these arguments. The author replies.

Response to Emerging Trends in Rainfed Farming Research in India N S Jodha Indiscriminate resource utilisation has resulted in high risk agro-ecosystems in rainfed agricultural zones. Moreover, the current phase of liberalisation is hound to reduce public sector funding for research in dry regions. In such circumstances, localised development of dryland fanning through farmers' initiatives supported by NGOs and user groups can redress the imbalance.

Studying Common Property Resources Biography of a Research Project N S Jodha Introduction THIS paper summarises my presentation at a recent meeting on emerging trends in conduct of applied social science research. This relates to the study of rural common property resources (CPRs) in the dry regions of India (1982-1986), which proved to be my most effective research in terms of its operational use by several agencies ranging from the grass roots level NGOs to national and international development agencies. Policy-makers and planners dealing with wasteland development, anti- poverty programmes, environmental problems in fragile resource zones and researchers from the areas as far-ranging as watershed management to resource economics have used the results and data of the study in different measures. At least six of the articles based on the work have been reprinted in the journals and books of readings nationally and internationally. This also prompted the initiation of a number of CPR studies in the country. Finally, the CPR research shifted focus of my professional work from agricultural economics to the larger issues of environmental resources, sustainability, and participatory development strategies. The effectiveness of the CPR study under question is due to the fact that it attempted to record and project some realities, which all of us routinely see and yet do not recognise. It provided data, insights, and analysis that helped to integrate the problems of rural poverty, resource access and environmental instability, which in turn form the mandate of several agencies grappling with the problem of rural development.

Resource Zones Technological Imperatives Introduction and Setting THIS paper deals with agriculture in the fragile or marginal resource areas such as mountains and rainfed arid/semi-arid tropical plains. In these areas sustainability or rather unsustainability, is not a matter of probability, but an already felt reality. After a brief comment on the key issues involved in the mainstream debate on sustainability, the paper presents a few negative changes (i e, indicators of unsustainability) relating to the resource base and productivity in these regions. The negative changes are a consequence of current patterns of resource use that over-exploit the resources. The important resource characteristics (often ignored while using the resources) and their sustainability implications are also discussed. After commenting on the indigenous measures and conventional development interventions to handle the constraints of fragile resource- agriculture, the paper examines the need for complementing the two. Finally, the major areas requiring research focus and the technology for enhancing the sustainability of fragile resource-agriculture are discussed.

in Selected Areas of India N S Jodha R P Singh Crop rotation is an important feature of traditional farming systems in the semi-arid tropics. Using farm-level data on plot-specific cropping histories covering a period of 10 years, the paper discusses different dimensions of rotation practices in three agro-climatic regions of SAT India. Despite realising the importance of rotation, the farmer finds it difficult to rotate crops or cropping systems as he wants. Weather, market forces, and other factors tend to interrupt the rotation sequences.