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 Transitions in India: Agriculture, Work, and Well-being” on 15–16 December 2025.
The conference brought together scholars, researchers and practitioners to examine the changing contours of rural India, with particular attention to the transformations taking place in agriculture, rural livelihoods, labour markets, land relations, social provisioning and rural well-being. Across its eight round tables, the conference addressed the economic, social, institutional and ecological processes shaping contemporary rural transitions.
The conference opened with an inaugural lecture delivered by D. N. Reddy, chaired by Praveen Jha. The first round table, “Rural Livelihoods and Agrarian Question,” explored contemporary rural livelihoods in relation to the continuing agrarian question.
The second round table, “Sustainable Agriculture, Climate Change and Regenerative Strategies,” addressed the growing importance of ecological sustainability and climate change in agricultural transformation. The conference also examined recent changes in agricultural policy through the round table on “Agricultural Policy Challenges in Recent Years.”
A particularly significant session was “Agrarian Questions and the Legacy of Sam Moyo.” Chaired by Praveen Jha, the round table brought together Paris Yeros, Marcelo Rosa, Sandeep Chachra, Archana Prasad, Manish Kumar and Freedom Mazwi. The session reflected on the continuing relevance of Sam Moyo’s scholarship to contemporary debates on agrarian transformation, land, labour and the political economy of the Global South.
The second day shifted the focus towards rural labour and social protection. The round table on “Rural Labour Markets, Informalisation, and Employment Transitions”, examined changing employment structures and processes of informalisation in rural India. This was followed by a discussion on “Social Provisioning and Livelihood Protection in Rural India,” which explored questions of social provisioning, livelihood security and institutional mechanisms of protection.
The conference then turned to the structural dimensions of rural inequality through the round table on “Agrarian Structure, Land Relations, and Rural Inequality.” The final substantive session, “Labour Relations, Social Security, and Labour Reforms: Implications for Employment Transitions in Rural India,” brought together questions of labour relations, social security and labour policy.
Taken together, the conference examined rural transition as a multidimensional process involving changes in agriculture, work, livelihoods, land relations, environmental conditions, public policy and social protection. Rather than treating agricultural transformation and labour-market change as separate processes, the discussions explored their interconnections and their implications for rural well-being and inequality.
