Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development, Guwahati
Online published on 15 May, 2019.
In an increasingly globalized world, a significant portion of rural development policies targeting the smallholders in tribal region in India aims at making them part of the global agri-food chain. However, the record of such policies in reduction of rural development is quite poor. Most of these smallholders have few livelihood opportunities outside agriculture. Drawing on primary survey data collected from tribal farmers growing organic ginger in Karbi hills in Assam, the present study examines the challenges facing such farmers while selling their harvest in an institutional setting that is markedly different from the other regions in India. Started on an optimistic note a decade ago, Ginger Grower Federation, a collective organization initiated by the district administration, is now a mere shadow of its former self. The study finds that problems that tribal farmers face are often different in nature, partly because of the difficult geographical terrain and partly because of failure in the delivery of basic public services. Policies and programs that follow one size fit all approach without acknowledging the specific institutional context of the region are more likely to fail than succeed.
