Should not the land-use pattern change to grow more industries in India, if China can - why not us ?

Question

There was a time when agriculture, animal hunting and forestry was the lively hood of the people in India and elsewhere in the world. There after, invention of wheel, steam engine, electricity etc paved the way for industrialisation around the world. India equally started industries with the help of the-then British merchants thereafter turned rulers.
The produce from the farm sector like cotton, jute and sugarcane etc. was being turned into commodities for human consumction and well being. Till to-day our garments are made of cotton - also other varities are there. Agriculture welcomed the industry to see a better use of the crops.
When forests and waste lands are protected by law for reason of ecology, industry may not find a place on the earth if land is not provided. The buzz word should be "less land and more crop" - this is quite possible if more advanced technique is brought into farms. Will power and attitude of the Asian giant China have shown the modern .

Answer 1

I totally agree with you. Industrialisation should not damage our core area of agriculture. Government should think of vertical use of the buildings than spreading in sides.

This will help in effective utilisation of land. We Indians always Wake up late know that why this happens.

Answer 2

Because of 60 years of national economic planning phobia, we tend to put the cart before the horse. We think if we could just change the land use pattern, industrialisation will be fostered. Wrong, if industrialisation takes place and depending on what is the type of industries that come up and what is the economic productivity of agriculture, etc which results in a particular land use pattern. Growth of economic activities, agriculture, industry and services is what we desire to have. Any specific land use pattern that our mind tells us as good is of no use. Once we have a priori optimum land use pattern and impose it or revise it, this can only hurt national economic growth as has been the experience since 1951 in India. Each plot of land should go such use that gives the maximum contribution to GDP per unit of land. If agriculture productivity is poor in a plot of land, it should be possible for some one capable to purchase that land and increase agricultural productivity. If industry uses land inefficiently, it should be possible for some one to acquire that land to increase efficient use. Efficient uses is what turns scarcity of land into plenty. Now do not say this is clever talk and Utopian ideas. Stop thinking of land use pattern as what decides our fate. Our ability to be more productive, efficient and globally competitive is what decides the fate of land use pattern.

Answer 3

Personally I think being mordenized is over rated. I don't think India should burst into the scene of the morden world because India is a nation of a billion people. Todays technologies can not hold population of a billion in terms of clean enegry. Everyday nine coal plants are created in India to provide electicity. Another problem is transportation. If India fells into American trend. That would mean in a nation of over one billion one family will have one to two cars. Think about where the oil will come from or where the cardone monxide is going. Finally the displacement of people. Because farmers will no longer be able to make money to feed their families they will have to live in the slums of the cities. While staying at a poorly bulit buliding crawly with rats and crime the family now has to think of ways to find work, education, and healthcare. The basic problems that plague India today. I say India should slow down and plan how will they provide jobs, security, a school system, and healthcare for its people. In the case of China the history is different. China is a socialist nation with policies based on planning. That is its key to success. Chinas still have evironmental problems. But has plans to move to more clean energy, One exmaple is the grand yellow dam. The hydropowered plant is one of the largest in the world. China still has the problem with displacement but it is not at a grand scale. The government had planned the jobs, schools, hospitals. China is doing really well not because of luck but because of planning and social reform.

Answer 4

Interesting thoughts.

Well, if you follow American thinking too much, you might all starve. A billion people.

Obviously, you have to balance need for food with need for industry space.

If you don't laws of economics will do it for you. Sad part is that probably means at some point more people will starve.

Be interesting to see how it turns out.

At this moment, in North America, we are very efficient so we actually force farmers to produce less to keep prices high.