In the wake of a report that discusses the future of agriculture in India through four basic scenarios, the World Bank held a meeting to discuss “The Future of Agriculture in India” on June 9, 2006. The panel was chaired by Kevin Cleaver, Sector Director for Agriculture at the Bank.
Kees van der Heijden, Associate Fellow at Templeton College of Oxford University, introduced the program by giving an overview of the report and its predicted scenarios. He also discussed the methods used to build those scenarios, and the factors they incorporate in their analysis. Suresh Pal, from the National Center for Agricultural Policy in India, spoke on the likely impacts on agriculture. He noted the reasons for stagnation in the agriculture sector, and proposed reforms to address the problems. Rajeswari Raina, from India’s Center for Policy Research, raised ways in which government could affect the report’s scenarios. She provided examples of each scenario in detail.
Willem Janssen, a World Bank Senior Agricultural Specialist, discussed the implications of the report for the Bank and the National Agriculture Innovation Project (NAIP), including technological inventions and project design. Eija Pehu, Bank Advisor for Agriculture and Rural Development, commented on broadening the Bank’s strategic planning.
Dr. Mruthyunjaya, National Director of the NAIP, praised the report and its predictive role in policy discussion. He also noted uses of each scenario in raising and answering questions. Connie Bernard, Sector Director for South Asia at the Bank, concluded the presentations with a perspective on future approaches to rural and agricultural development.
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