The population food problem has received continued attention especially since Malthus pointed towards the widening gap as
a result of population growing at geometric progression and food supply at arithmetic progression. This book is a diagnostic exploration of various constraints in the production and marketing of rice in one of the
productivity backward region (Amritsar district) of north-west India based on authentic wide ranging sources including the data from the cop cutting Experiments conducted by the Department of Agriculture, Punjab, Amritsar. The study reveals wide interregional disparities in rice productivity which is mainly attributed to the skew ness in level and pattern of resource use. The study focuses attention towards public investment, infrastructural facilities and
agricultural inputs, in relatively backward areas to reduce regional imbalances. The authors argue that we are in the interesting but critical phase of agricultural evolution. There is great scope for improving production via productivity as many of the basic ingredients necessary for accelerated agricultural development are available. What is now needed is that the major trust should be directed towards achieving an optimum blend of social action, technology transfer and government initiative for reaping full benefits from the vast untapped reservoir? The author’s careful probing into the micro unit of farmer’s experience contradicts the doom sayers for they expose an optimistic reality whose lesson can and should reshape future thought and action.