Spatial Characteristics of Long-Term Changes in
Indian Agricultural Production:
District-Level Analysis, 1965-2007
Abstract: In this paper, we comprehensively describe spatial patterns of long-term changes in Indian agriculture at the district level. Variables of concern include the intensity of land-use, the shares of rice and wheat in areas under foodgrains, the ratio of non-foodgrains in gross cultivated area, the intensity of fertilizer-use, and individual crop shares in gross cultivated areas. As one outcome of the descriptive analysis, we propose a new regional classification of Indian districts based on similarity in rainfall, initial cropping and land-use patterns, and initial conditions and changes in irrigation. The proposed classification has reasonable explanatory power in describing the spatial patterns of long-term changes at the district level.