Agriculture dependent population in India grew by 50%

WASHINGTON: Agricultural population of India grew by a whopping 50 per cent between 1980 and 2011, the highest for any country during this period, followed by China with 33 per cent, while that of the United States dropped by 37 per cent as a result of large scale mechanisation, a latest report has said. Between 1980 and 2011, the economically active agricultural populations of China and India grew by 33 and 50 per cent, respectively, due to overall population growth," the Worldwatch Institute said in its report yesterday. "The economically active agricultural population of the United States, on the other hand, declined by 37 per cent as a result of large-scale mechanisation, improved crop varieties, fertilisers, pesticides, and federal subsidies--all of which contributed to economies of scale and consolidation in US agriculture," it said.