abstract: 'The paper examines the basic issue of impact of new technology on

  employment and income distribution in the rural areas of India''s

  Semi-Arid Tropics. The analysis indicates that in general average income

  of rural households in dryland areas is quite low. However, the mean

  income level is substantially higher in those assured rainfall villages

  where the adoption of new technology is higher than in those villages

  where rainfall is low and erratic and the adoption of improved seeds,

  use of fertilizer and access to irrigation is limited. The differential

  effect of new technology in different regions is partly because of

  geographic physical conditions and level of infrastructure development.

  The income is more equitably distributed in those villages where mean

  level of income is low than in those where mean level of income is high.

  There is a clear indication of improvement in the level of income in

  almost all the villages but percentage increase in income was relatively

  higher in those villages where the technical change was also higher.

  Though, there was some improvement in the income distribution over time

  in all the villages, the trend in the inequality does not indicate any

  clear improvement in income distribution. This suggests that despite

  increase in the income level, the inequality has not worsened over time.

  In other words, it can be said that atleast the new technology has not

  increased the inequality.

  The new technology has reduced the poverty proportionately more in

  progressive village than in less progressive village. Most of the income

  gains in these villages came from crops specially in those villages

  where adoption of new technology was high. In the less progressive

  village wage earnings were equally important in improving the level of

  income. This also indicates that inequality in productive resources

  specially land and investment in irrigation are important factors

  contributing to inequality. Increased farm and off-farm employment

  opportunities due to new technology help the lower income group of

  households to earn more income and reduce inequality. All households

  gain from technological progress but the top and bottom income groups

  gain proportionately more than the middle.

  The investment in irrigation, improved seeds and fertilizer

  substantially contribute to the agricultural productivity and the

  differential use of these inputs leads to increased regional as well as

  within the village disparities in income. The village differences also

  contribute considerably to the variability in income because of

  differences in the agro-climatic factors such as pattern of rainfall,

  cropping pattern and type of soil but within village differences in the

  farmer''s resource base, labour participation and their managerial

  practices are the largest contributors to income variability.'
affiliation: SINGH, RP (Corresponding Author), NIRD, FAC ECON, HYDERABAD 500030, INDIA.
author: SINGH, RP
author_list:
- family: SINGH
  given: RP
da: '2023-09-28'
files: []
issn: 0970-3357
journal: JOURNAL OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
language: English
month: OCT-DEC
number: '4'
number-of-cited-references: '11'
pages: 489-513
papis_id: b8c78eb19d44aa20402ba3011ff19279
ref: Singh1994differentialimpact
times-cited: '0'
title: DIFFERENTIAL IMPACT OF NEW TECHNOLOGY ON RURAL INCOME AND EMPLOYMENT IN DRYLAND
  REGIONS OF INDIA
type: article
unique-id: WOS:A1994QD05600002
usage-count-last-180-days: '0'
usage-count-since-2013: '2'
volume: '13'
web-of-science-categories: Regional \& Urban Planning
year: '1994'