Making of State Agricultural Policy: A Demonstration

Abstract

Policymaking in India falls in the category of responsive policies than cleanly deliberated telescopic long-run policies. The science and art of policymaking was never taken seriously by administrators or academicians. The universities and the administrators are not even aware of the theory behind policymaking, and therefore, we often end up in firefighting approach and riverine policies. This paper analyses the art and science of policymaking taking important examples on a difficult terrain. We elaborately deal with the theory of policymaking and bring forth the science behind the process. It is essential that the administrators follow the science of policymaking and employ the exquisite art of policymaking while arriving at solutions for difficult problems. Our illustration is set in the agricultural sector, where many uncertainties prevail and decision-making is one of the difficult tasks. We chose the region of Deccan Plateau purposively as this region poses significant challenges and has been the bedrock of agrarian distress in the recent past. The states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat pose typical challenges for policymaking. Our information base is from the very region for which we are planning the policies and hence our policies are rooted in the soil of the region. This illustration will certainly prove useful for many.

This paper draws on the first author’s earlier work.

Appendix

Table 9 Resource availability and input use in Deccan Plateau states

Table 10 Cropping pattern change in Deccan Plateau states (percentage to gross cropped area)

Table 11 Predominant crops and their growth performance in major states