Post-green revolution agro-entrepreneurship among capitalist farmers in Indian Punjab and Andhra Pradesh

Abstract

Indian agriculture has undergone substantial changes due to the phenomenon of Green Revolution of the 1960s and the 1970s resulting in accumulation of agrarian surpluses in many regions. This article examines the conversion of such surpluses into commercial and industrial capital in terms of agro-entrepreneurship and diversification among commercial farmers of the Green Revolution era within specific contexts of the states of Punjab and Andhra Pradesh. It compares and contrasts the nature of this agro-entrepreneurship between the two states in terms of patterns of mobility and social and cultural factors and their significance in understanding the rural social change from a business history perspective. The article infers, from this experience, implications for understanding processes and hurdles in transition from agriculture to agribusiness for such rural entrepreneurs.