Urbanisation and farming systems in the semi-arid regions: A case study of Hyderabad, India

Urbanisation induced agricultural land-use change is an important policy concern to ensure food and nutritional security and sustainability of farming systems. Urbanisation related pressures and opportunities influence farm households’ decisions on the allocation of resources and produce diverse farming systems. Utilising farmer FGDs from six villages around Hyderabad, and qualitative empirical analysis, the present study identifies five dominant farming systems. Intensification of agricultural production and diversification into non-agricultural activities are the predominant system strategies at the urban-rural interface. This study benchmarks and provides a baseline to explore forces underlying farming system changes to develop urban-spatial and rural-development policies.