Lack of Commercialisation

A farmer who grows only for his own family is not participating in a market. The decision to sell a crop is a commercial one, and it depends on having a surplus. When a farmer has barely enough land to feed his household, there is no surplus to sell. This is the core of the problem: lack of commercialisation is not a choice but a consequence of land scarcity.

The textbook makes a clear distinction between two types of farming situations:

• Subsistence farming – the majority of small and marginal farmers grow foodgrains (like wheat, rice, millets) solely for their own family's consumption. They do not have enough land to produce a marketable surplus. Their farming is not commercial; it is about survival.
• Commercial farming – this has taken root only in areas that are irrigated. Where water is assured, farmers can invest in modern inputs (high-yielding seeds, fertilisers, pesticides) and produce a surplus that they sell in the market. Commercialisation and modernisation go hand in hand, and both are concentrated in irrigated regions.