The Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, in collaboration with the Centre for Agrarian Research and Education for South, organised the Sukhamoy Chakravarty Chair Conference on “Rural Diversification and Economic Transformations: Some Linkages” on 2–3 March 2025.
The conference brought together scholars and researchers to examine the changing nature of rural economies and the diverse processes through which agricultural production, rural livelihoods, labour markets and agrarian institutions are being transformed. It provided a forum for exploring the interconnections between agricultural production, productivity, value systems, risk, public policy, climate change, land and labour relations, gender, employment and rural diversification.
The conference commenced with an inaugural session featuring opening remarks by Prof. Praveen Jha, Sukhamoy Chakravarty Chair Professor, and a keynote lecture by Prof. Prabhat Patnaik, Professor Emeritus, Jawaharlal Nehru University. The inaugural session was chaired by Prof. Surinder Jodhka of the Centre for the Study of Social Systems, JNU.
The first day featured four thematic sessions. “Agricultural Production and Value System” examined transformations in agricultural production and the organisation of agricultural value systems. This was followed by “Agricultural Productivity, Risk Management, and Policy,” which explored questions of productivity, uncertainty and the role of policy in shaping agricultural outcomes.
The third session, “Climate Change, Institutional and Economic Transformations,” brought environmental change into dialogue with institutional and economic transformation, highlighting the ways in which climate-related challenges intersect with broader processes of rural change. The final session of the day, “Rural and Agricultural Diversification,” focused directly on the changing composition of rural economies and the implications of diversification for livelihoods and economic transformation.
The second day turned to the social and institutional dimensions of agrarian change. “Land, Labour, and Tenurial Arrangements” examined changing relationships between land, labour and forms of tenure, while the session on “Labour, Gender, and Employment Trends” explored transformations in rural employment and labour markets, including their gendered dimensions.
The conference brought together contributions from scholars associated with institutions including Jawaharlal Nehru University, University of Delhi, OP Jindal Global University, University of Hyderabad, Banaras Hindu University, Council for Social Development, Madras Institute of Development Studies, University of Barcelona, Doon University, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University and other academic and research institutions.
CARES was represented in the programme through the participation of Sandeep Chachra, who chaired the session on Agricultural Productivity, Risk Management, and Policy. The discussions across the two days highlighted that rural diversification is not simply a movement away from agriculture, but a complex process shaped by changes in agricultural production and markets, land and labour relations, employment opportunities, technological and institutional change, environmental pressures and public policy. Understanding these interconnected processes is central to analysing the pathways and challenges of economic transformation in rural societies.
The conference concluded with a closing remarks by Prof. Praveen Jha.
