AGRICULTURAL CHANGE IN HOOGHLY, 1850–1910∗

∗The author acknowledges with gratitude the Senior Fellowship of the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute which made this study possible.

ABSTRACT

The response of individual tenant farmers to the demands of the Calcutta market created a region of diversified commercial agriculture around that metropolis. The distinctive character of the half of this region west of the Hooghly River was evident by 1850, but became more pronounced during the second half of the nineteenth century. Although it also produced fine rice, jute, inferior pulses, and a number of minor crops, the area developed increasingly as the supplier of fruits and vegetables to the metropolis. This type of development was made possible by the occurrence of sizeable areas of land capable of producing crops other than rice. During the last quarter of the nineteenth century the region expanded to its physical limits. In this period the cultivation of some formerly important crops was reduced, or abandoned, in the face of competition from other areas and rising rents, accentuating the specialized character of agriculture. At the same time the intensity of land use was increased, improved crop varieties were accepted, and important changes were made in cultivation technology.

Notes

∗The author acknowledges with gratitude the Senior Fellowship of the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute which made this study possible.