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Indian agriculture and agricultural policy have recently passed through a major political tumult. Coming against the backdrop of the unkept promise of doubling farm incomes, it has only exposed the contradictions of seeking to bring the sector under a corporate yoke. This book could not, therefore, come at a more opportune moment. It offers a comprehensive and critical consideration of the determinants of long-term agricultural growth and agrarian inequalities, a rich yet distilled view of performance and policy errors of omission and commission, against which the present state and prospects of the sector are fruitfully assessed. A valuable addition for the student and the professional alike, this book is sure to become a benchmark reference and guide on Indian agriculture. -- J. Mohan Rao Emeritus Professor, University of Massachusetts Amherst Agriculture is more a system than a sector; it is a system of economic interests in conflict. Agricultural policy is more a dynamic contested political process than a technical tool. In this book, a team of expert critical friends of Indian agriculture explain how their unprecedented achievements have driven agriculture into an era of crises. Their analysis of liberalization and the commodification of policy as well as that of all stages of agriculture - upstream as well as downstream - is grounded in history, developed through major policy debates, clearly explained with a treasure chest of evidence and data to help the readers engage and decipher for themselves. Distress in the Fields is a unique and indispensable work of reference for the 'young and curious' of all ages. -- Barbara Harriss-White Professor Emeritus of Development Studies, University of Oxford Distress in the Fields is a milestone in the investigation of neoliberal agrarian capitalist development and agrarian crisis in India. Magisterial in its analysis of the longue duree, it provides unique evidence and food for thought on issues ranging from the land question and the worsening inequalities in the countryside, to neo-liberal policy changes on agricultural credit and marketing. This is an indispensable volume for researchers and students alike, by stellar agrarian scholars. -- Jens Lerche Reader, SOAS University of London If you are interested in what has happened to Indian agriculture and why, Distress in the Fields is a book you must read. With solidly researched papers from some of the most competent and analytical writers on the subject, the book gives you a long view of the mess we are in. A view that shows our present farm crisis not as an event, but as an outcome of the policies that came with our embrace of the market and liberalization - and the processes those unleashed over at least three decades. -- P. Sainath Journalist and Founder Editor, People's Archive of Rural India

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R. Ramakumar is a development economist and professor at the School of Development Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. He has extensive research experience in agrarian studies, agricultural economics, and rural banking. He is the author of Note-Bandi: Demonetisation and India’s Elusive Chase for Black Money (2018).

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