Alternative Development: Participation, Empowerment and Well-Being in Rural India

Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Globalization: a critical framework for understanding contemporary social processes. 3. The impact of globalization and liberalization on agriculture and small farmers. 4. The impact of trade liberalization on small farmers. 5. The global framework affecting rural producers in developing countries. 6. The impact of globalization on the agricultural sectors. 7. Smallholders globalization and policy analysis. Bibliography. Index.

With the increasing population demand for basic needs has been steeply rising during the past five decades in most of the developing countries. The growing populations need food clothing shelter fuel and fodder for their livestock. In India, over 60-70% of the people are living in rural areas that neither have adequate land holdings nor alternate service opportunities to produce or procure these commodities. In the absence of adequate employment opportunities the rural people are unable to generate enough wages to sustain their livelihood. The rise of emerging economies represents a challenge to traditional global power balances and raises the question of how we can combine sustainability with continued economic growth. This book is an important intervention in the debate between economic and social development.

It makes the case for understanding development in economic terms as well as in terms of well-being, empowerment and participation. This book will be a valuable resource for researchers and postgraduates in development studies, geography, economics and environmental studies.