For many years, agricultural development in Punjab symbolised one of the most successful experiments in rural development. However, this success story seems to be going astray. The crux of the problem, this volume suggests, is that externally driven modernization to meet national food needs pushed Punjab into highly specialized production of wheat and rice, resulting in over-utilisation of natural resources with adverse environmental consequences that jeopardizing the long-term viability and sustainability of the agrarian economy. Stagnating productivity, reduced farm size, falling household incomes, depleting groundwater resources, are only a few of the problems that characterise Punjab’s agriculture today. The book establishes clearly that rural development implies more than transformation of traditional agriculture. Apart from ensuring efficient use of limited resources to sustain agricultural production, rural policy should encompass promotion of non-farm activities, investments in social and economic structure and civic amenities.

Contributed articles on microfinance and small business in India.

Aunque muchos proyectos de desarrollo rural han producido resultados favorables, otros han resultado decepcionantes. Las evaluaciones ex-post a menudo tienen actividades bien realizadas demasiado tarde para que se tomen medidas correctivas. Por lo tanto, los gobiernos nacionales, así como las agencias internacionales de financiación, sienten cada vez más la necesidad de una evaluación continua y un seguimiento estrecho de los proyectos de desarrollo agrícola y rural.