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Changes in transition: technology adoption and rice farming in two Indian villages

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Abstract

The economic impacts of the Green Revolution have been studied widely, but not its social-cultural effects on different farming communities. The adoption of high yielding varieties (HYVs) of rice changed the nature of rice farming in the two West Bengal villages of Padulara and Naigachi. The villages present an interesting contrast of socio-economic and cultural change due to the differences in the level of adoption of agricultural technologies. This study documents the social and cultural impacts of agricultural technology adoption, specifically the effect on rituals which guided the stages of traditional rice farming and communal life. Agricultural rituals are being modified to suit the processes of modern rice farming, while family rituals are holding strong. The study also shows the evolving nature of rituals as it reflects new found wealth, gender roles, and economic class in these villages.

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Notes

  1. In Hinduism, Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth and fortune as well as luck, beauty, and fertility. She is supposed to be the mother of the universe and is married to lord Bishnu, the preserver of eternal creation. She has eight variations of which the term Dhanya Lakshmi (granary wealth) is associated with the present article. Those who wish for wealth or to preserve it worship Lakshmi. It is also widely believed that she visits and stays in households which are clean and where the people are hard working.

  2. Lord Nilkantha is a nickname of lord Shiba who was supposed to drink the poison that came out at the time of churning the sea. He held the poison in his throat, which became blue in color, hence the name Nilkantha. In fact lord Shiba is a pre-Vedic god and later on he was incorporated in the vedic hierarchy. The reference of lord Shiba may be found in the seals of Mahanjodaro as well as in the epics the Mahabharata and Ramayana. Myth says that lord Shiba was married twice. His first wife, Sati, was the daughter of king Daksha. Euphemistically she was also known as Nilabati because of her husband’s blue throat, as mentioned earlier.

  3. According to Hindu scriptures Biswakarma is accepted as the god mechanic who is very proficient in craftsmanship and architecture. He is also believed to be the god who was responsible for the creation of crystal palaces, the heavenly abode of lord Indra, king of the heavens. References to Biswakarma is also found in the epic Mahabharata, where he is supposed to be the chief architect and builder of the Pandavas, a dwelling place, and the capital known as Indraprastha.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), CG Block, National Agricultural Science Center (NASC) Complex, DSP Marg, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India

    Arindam Samaddar

  2. Calcutta Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology (CMIG), Kolkata, India

    Prabir Kumar Das

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  1. Arindam Samaddar
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  2. Prabir Kumar Das
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Correspondence to Arindam Samaddar.

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Samaddar, A., Das, P.K. Changes in transition: technology adoption and rice farming in two Indian villages. Agric Hum Values 25, 541–553 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-008-9150-0

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