Water in a thirsty land: Irrigation development and agrarian structure in South India.

摘要

This dissertation examines relationships between irrigation technology and agrarian social structure in terms of who has assess to irrigation, what effect irrigation has on production and employment generation in agriculture, and who benefits from irrigation development. It uses household survey data from eleven villages of North Arcot District, Tamil Nadu, India collected in 1982-84.;Decomposition of Gini coefficients for distribution of land reveals that, in the villages with poorer irrigation, access to surface irrigation on small holdings compensates somewhat for inequality in control over land. But in villages with good irrigation, control over land and water are mutually reinforcing, so that inequality in household resources is greater than indicated by simple land ownership. Because access to groundwater depends on capital investment, farmers with greater resources have an advantage in investing in the new technology, despite widespread ownership of wells and pumpsets in the area. Constraints to full adoption of wells on small holdings in North Arcot remain because limited groundwater restricts expansion of well irrigation.;Although irrigation did not fully buffer the effect of drought in 1982-83, access to irrigation increased cropping intensity and area under paddy. Irrigation did not significantly increase yields, but contributed to rice output by reducing crop failure. Distinguishing crop survival rates from area planted and yield effects is essential for understanding growth and stability of food production.;Irrigation, holding size and high caste status all increased farm-level employment of wage labor. Irrigation's impact was greater for female than male laborers. Control over land and water resources made households less dependent on wages for subsistence, but those with unirrigated holdings were little better off than landless laborers. Irrigation development affects agrarian structure by increasing agricultural production for cultivators and generating employment for agricultural laborers.;Irrigation in the region includes surface tanks and wells with pumpsets or manual lifts. Rainfall is low and fluctuating with frequent droughts, including during the study period. The agrarian structure is highly stratified in terms of caste and control over resources.