Canal Irrigation in British India
Perspectives on Technological Change in a Peasant Economy

A detailed study of the local effects of the British Raj's irrigation schemes.

Ian Stone (Author)

9780521526630, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 25 July 2002

392 pages
21.7 x 14 x 2.3 cm, 0.54 kg

Although one of the acknowledged achievements of the British Raj was the extensive construction of irrigation works, their effects have to date been little studied by historians. In this book Dr Stone has undertaken the first full-scale study of the qualitative and quantitative effects on local economics of these irrigation schemes. Focusing upon the region of western Uttar Pradesh in the nineteenth century, the author examines in detail the response of the peasant economy to this important and pervasive form of technological change. In particular, he is concerned with the impact on crop choices, on the organisation and techniques of production, on protection from famine and on the ecological balance, on social and economic relations, and on differential economic performance. An integral part of his study is his examination of the technical features and administration of the systems.

List of illustrations
List of tables
Preface
List of abbreviations
1. Introduction
2. Development of the canal system
3. Canal irrigation as an appropriate technology
4. Impact on agricultural production and organisation
5. Pricing
6. Management, control, and distribution
7. Protection against famine
8. Canal irrigation and the dynamism of the western UP
Appendices
Glossary of Indian terms
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Social groups [JFS]