Moving towards an implementable agenda for the rural economy of Gujarat

The farm laws enacted in 2020 plan a transformation towards modernization, but the organizational forms of the new agriculture, which are important for this transformation, will involve thinking in collectives and addressing information concerns and stakeholder requirements. These alternate paths for rural development-apart from government projects, involving huge outlays and, often, high welfare losses-will enable a movement towards the modernization of agriculture that is not biased or based on heavy expenditure on inputs. However, the scope for agricultural growth in Gujarat is constrained by the stable, unchanging village hierarchy and the hardiness and practicality of farmers.