This book is a compilation of papers examining women's role in rural production systems in India. The book is divided into six sections; the first section explores conceptual, theoretical, and methodological issues with respect to understanding women's work. The second, third, and fourth sections present evidence from primary and secondary data on women's work in agriculture and nonagricultural activities, and include a discussion of the nature of work among Dalit and Adivasi women. The fifth and sixth sections provide a brief historical perspective of rural women's employment in the colonial period and analyze women's access to banking.

This book is the outcome of a two-year research project undertaken by the Foundation for Agrarian Studies and supported by the Rosa Luxemberg Stiftung (New Delhi). The objective of the project was to examine the socioeconomic characteristics and viability of small producers in different agro-ecological regions of India, locating them in the broader context of the capitalist development of Indian agriculture. This book seeks to address some key questions concerning small farms and small farmers in the context of contemporary India, drawing on empirical material of exceptional quality collected through carefully designed and conducted household and farm economy surveys in seventeen villages located in nine major states of India. Chapters based on household data examine issues such as the productivity of small farms, the economic viability of small farming, the multiple sources of household income of small farmers, the patterns of input use, and the extent of labor performed by small farmers on their own holdings. While not romanticizing the role of small farmers, the book brings out the need for strong state support to enable small farmers to meet the challenges they face.

This book is a collection of essays written in tribute to N. Ram, journalist, writer, and person of the Left. Its title reflects Ram's concern that journalism, and indeed intellectual endeavor, be both informative and credible and committed to the social good. The contributors to the book are: Venkatesh Athreya, Wayne Barrett, C. P. Chandrasekhar, John Cherian, Noam Chomsky, P. Jacob, T. Jayaraman, Kumari Jayawardena, Prakash Karat, C. T. Kurien, Parvathi Menon, Prabhakara S. Motnahalli, Suresh Nambath, Prabhat Patnaik, V. K. Ramachandran, Alan Rusbridger, Nirmal Shekar, M. S. Swaminathan, and Romila Thapar.