seed and manures. They do not, however, undertake the demonstration of any improvements unless they have already been successfully demonstrated on the cultivators' own fields by the staff of the Agricultural Department. They are not expected to undertake any large purchases and hiring out of implements or the extensive financing of the purchase and distribution of seed and manure, the intention being that they should merely advance development to such a stage that this can profitably be done by co-operative societies. If an association asks for them, the services of a fieldman are placed entirely at its disposal by the Agricultural Department, the cost being met from the funds of the association. The funds required for the work of the association are provided by a capital fund raised by annual subscriptions from co-operative societies, individuals, and villages as a whole, and by an annual grant from Government which is equal to the income from other sources up to a limit of Rs. 1,000. The taluka development associations work under the supervision of divisional boards, of which there are six. Each of these boards consists of two official and four non-official members, of whom two represent the co-operative movement and two represent agriculture. The board is, expected to meet at least once a quarter and to submit a report of its proceedings to the Director of Agriculture and the Registrar of Co-operative Societies jointly. One of the official members is ordinarily the chairman of the board. In addition to distributing the government grants allotted to the taluka associations on the principle described above, the board controls the distribution of the portion of the government grant for loans to co-operative societies which was formerly in charge of the Registrar of Co-operative Societies. The board also undertakes the distribution of the discretionary grant for propaganda purposes which was formerly administered by the Director of Agriculture. The board has also certain advisory functions. It is expected to advise local officers as to the way in which the policy laid down by Government or by the Director and the Registrar is to be carried out in its division. It is also expected to discuss questions of general importance, and to bring to the notice of the department concerned such measures as it thinks should be taken for the economic advancement of the division. The Government of Bombay have laid down that the propaganda work of the Agricultural Department should be carried on, as far as possible, through co-operative unions where these exist and, where they do not, through individual co-operative societies. The work of both agricultural and co-operative propaganda is distributed between the agricultural overseers working under the Agricultural Department and the agricultural organisers working under the Co-operative Department. It is intended that the charges of these officers should not overlap and that each should be responsible for both agricultural and co-operative work in his own area. A report on the work of all the propaganda staff is submitted to the divisional board by the departments concerned every quarter and is forwarded to the Director of Agriculture and the Registrar of Co-operative Societies with the board's remarks. Any recommendations made by the board are considered and orders on them are issued by the Director and the Registrar jointly. There are now nearly sixty taluka development associations in Bombay started either on the initiative of the people of the taluka or on that of the revenue officer in charge of it (the mamlatdar). The evidence we received showed that they were, on the whole, functioning successfully, though there have been some failures. We were informed that these have occurred mainly in the Konkan tract of the presidency in which a special class of landholders known as khots is to be found. The failure in this tract is attributed to the fact that, owing to the peculiar nature of the tenure and the excessive subdivision and fragmentation of land, neither the landholders, who are frequently absentees, nor the tenants take any great interest in the lard. THE BOMBAY SYSTEM 145. The work of the taluka development associations and of the divisional boards in Bombay has been in progress APPLICABILITY OF too short a time to enable its effect in stimulating TO OTHER PROVINCES. agricultural development to be gauged with any certainty. We have thought it useful to describe their organisation and methods of working in some detail, not because we consider them suitable in every way for general acceptance, but because we are convinced that it is only by the adoption of this, or of some similar system, that the agricultural departments can effectively utilise the help of co-operative and other associations. The details of the organisation to be built up for this purpose must vary in different provinces. Much depends upon the efficiency of the agricultural and co-operative departments, much on the personality of the heads of the departments and their ability to work together, even more on the existence of a sufficient number of intelligent cultivators willing to form an active association. That closer association between the agricultural and co-operative departments for agricultural propaganda work is desirable, we have no doubt. The more elaborate course in rural economics, which we have suggested in Chapter XV for inclusion in the curriculum of the agricultural colleges would include instruction in co-operative principles, whilst, amongst the short courses given at the colleges, would be one in rural economy for the staff of the co-operative departments. The instruction of agricultural officers in the principles of co-operation and of co-operative officers in rural economy should assist in bringing about closer touch between the two departments. But something more than this is required. It is essential that there should be a definite system of co-ordinating their work in the districts. It is our view, therefore, that the Bombay organisation is well worth the study of other provincial governments. It is worthy of consideration whether the taluka should be the unit of organisation or whether, in some cases, a smaller area would not be a more appropriate unit. We would also suggest that Government might place at the disposal of the association the services of a more highly trained officer than a fieldman. The Bombay organisation might be held to be open to the criticism that MO Y 286-11 too much depends upon official initiative and supervision but we think that reliance on such initiative and supervision is unavoidable in present conditions. In this connection, we wish to stress the part the district officer can play in advancing agricultural and other improvements in the area in his charge. His influence is such that any interest he displays in rural development is bound to be specially fruitful in results. Advantage of it is taken in some provinces, notably in the Central Provinces, by attaching an agricultural assistant to the camp of the district officer during his tours in the district. In Bombay, demonstrations of agricultural improvements by expert officers of the Agricultural Department have been given in conjunction with the annual settlement of revenue accounts (jamabandi) which is a feature of the revenue system in the ryotwari provinces of Bombay and Madras. We consider that both these methods of propaganda might be more widely adopted. UTILITY OF THE SOCIETY IN ADVANCING PROVEMENT. IM 146. The formation of development associations, whether on the lines followed in Bombay or on others better adapted to local conditions, will take time, whilst there are tracts which are not sufficiently advanced to hold out any prospects of successfully establishing associations in the near future. In the meantime and in such tracts, the agricultural departments should, we think, make far greater use of co-operative credit societies than they are now doing. The Co-operative Department in Bihar and Orissa has perhaps done more in this direction than any other. In that province, several central banks have been instrumental in introducing new crops or varieties, such as tobacco or Pusa No. 4 wheat, in the area to which their operations extend. In South Bihar alone, some eighty societies affiliated to such banks have rendered material assistance in distributing and demonstrating Coimbatore canes, groundnut, potatoes and sulphate of ammonia. CONCENTRATION OF 147. The necessity for the concentration of the energies of the district staff of the agricultural departments and NECESSITY FOR THE of the associations through which it works, both in regard to the area in which operations are carried on and the subjects selected for demonstration, cannot be too strongly insisted on. The conversion of the cultivators of a whole village to the adoption of a particular form of agricultural improvement is of far more value to the Agricultural Department, in the long run, than that of a number of isolated cultivators in a wide area. Once an improvement has thoroughly established itself in the agricultural practice of a small area, the knowledge of it spreads naturally over contiguous areas where conditions are similar. In the early stages of propaganda, it was perhaps not practicable to confine work to particular areas, and, in consequence, efforts were dispersed over a province and enterprising individuals were sought for, who would undertake to carry on their operations in accordance with the advice of the departments. We are emphatically of opinion that such dispersal of effort is no longer justified and that, everywhere, concentration should be the policy. We agree with the Report of the English Agricultural Tribunal of Investigation that "State assistance to agriculture is more effective and economical where the agricultural community is co-operatively organised than where it remains in a condition of dominant individualism; and, if for no other reason, the State would be justified in assisting the growth of agricultural co-operation, by which it will be enabled the more effectively to promote its educational and other services." Where, then, there are efficiently managed co-operative societies with members willing to adopt the advice of the agricultural expert, we consider that these should always be given preference over the unorganised individual. * The advisability of concentration in regard to the distribution of the seed of improved varieties needs no elaboration. The individual cultivator who grows an improved variety may derive little benefit from so doing owing to the difficulty of disposing of his produce. Where the improved variety is one of such crops as cotton, the millets and tobacco, which are liable to cross fertilisation in the field, he runs the risk that his crop will rapidly deteriorate owing to contamination from the inferior varieties grown by his neighbours. We have pointed out, in Chapter IV, that an obstacle to the spread of improved implements is the natural dislike of the individual to be marked off in any way from his fellows, and this is equally true of other forms of agricultural improvement. Whilst we realise the difficulty of refusing requests for assistance from individuals and consider it desirable that these should be complied with as far as possible, the fact must be recognised that the staff which the agricultural departments can employ on demonstration work under its own control or lend to associations is limited. Associations should, therefore, be encouraged to send their own men to be trained by the departments. We regard it as most important that no more demonstrations should be carried on than can be effectively supervised and brought to a satisfactory conclusion. The work should be carried out on a definite programme and should be of an intensive rather than of an extensive character. It appears to us that Better-Farming societies such as those established in the Punjab are useful centres for a campaign of this kind and we are, therefore, of opinion that the demonstration staff allotted by the agricultural departments for work in areas in which societies of this kind exist and are efficiently conducted should work preferably through them. APPOINTMENT OF AN EXPERT OFFICER FOR PROPAGANDA WORK. 148. The supervision of all demonstration and propaganda work within his charge is, and must remain, one of the most important duties of the deputy director of agriculture in charge of a circle but we consider that an officer of the standing of a deputy director might well be attached to the office of the Director of Agriculture, whose sole duty it would be to organise and systematise activities. throughout the province. His task would be to watch the various schemes of propaganda in operation, to record their results and to suggest methods of making them more effective. He would be *Final Report 1924. Cmd. 2145, paragraph 178, MO Y 286-11a expected to familiarise himself, as far as possible, with experiments in demonstration and propaganda conducted in provinces other than his own and to keep himself informed of the methods adopted in other countries. It would be his duty to bring to the notice of the research staff points which the work of the district staff revealed as specially requiring their attention. He would also act as a liaison officer between the Agricultural Department and the Press and would be in charge of all departmental publications which had as their object the furtherance of agricultural improvement and the stimulation of popular interest in the work of the department. PROPAGANDA OF OTHER DEPARTMENTS RURAL WELFARE. WITH 149. Throughout this chapter, we have dealt with the work of demonstration and propaganda from the point of view of agriculture. We have done so, mainly because this is the aspect with which we are more immediately concerned, but, in part, because demonstration and propaganda in favour of agricultural improvements present special problems of their own. The principle that, if propaganda in Indian conditions is to be effective, it must be based mainly on ocular demonstration is, however, one of general applicability to all departments concerned with rural welfare. It is also true generally that the propaganda carried on by such departments will be far more fruitful in results, if it is conducted through the medium of organised associations. It is the realisation of this which has led to the formation of co-operative societies for purposes connected with education, irrigation and the prevention of disease. Whilst we see no objection to the use of agricultural associations and of taluka development associations for veterinary propaganda and, indeed, consider that they should be able to render material help in any campaign which is undertaken to stamp out cattle disease, we are averse from invoking their assistance in any other form of propaganda work less directly connected with agricultural improvement. To do so might end in diverting their attention to an undesirable degree from the objects for which they have been established. For this reason, consider that the propaganda work of departments concerned with rural welfare, other than the agricultural and veterinary departments, is best carried on through associations organised for more general purposes such as co-operative bodies and the rural community councils of the Punjab, to which we refer in our chapter on The Village. 150. We consider that a valuable stimulus to agricultural development in India would be given if the Government of India were to award an annual prize for the most striking agricultural improvement of the year. The value of such a prize in arousing interest in concrete forms of agricultural improvement would, in our opinion, lie even more in the prestige that would attach to its receipt than in the monetary amount, though we are of opinion that this should be substantial and would suggest Rs. 10,000 as a suitable figure. The conditions governing the award of the prize should be made as definite as possible and PRIZES FOR AGRICULTURAL IMPROVEMENT. we |