India's Eucalyptus Craze The God That Failed

"Saxena's analysis.... reflects great clarity of thought.... Based on a comprehensive survey, review and critical examination of earlier studies on eucalyptus plantation, this is a scholarly work, bringing to light many factors hitherto overlooked.... An interesting piece of work, reflecting the author's vision, sharpened by long experience in administrative service. The methodological aptness, accuracy and rigour reflect his academic depth and exposure. The multidisciplinary approach to this comprehensive study has lent it an intensity found in few studies. Clarity of thought, lucid expression and systematic presentation enable easy comprehension. It is an extremely useful piece of work for agroforesters, academicians and administrative planners alike and informative and interesting to any one interested in forest, farming and plantations." --The Indian Jouranl of Social Science "The methodology on the classification of farmers based on the land owning capacity, caste hierarchy and accessibility adopted in the book helps the readers understand the issues more meaningfully. The field experience gained by the author has helped to incorporate other related issues.... This study provides a comprehensive picture of the process of agricultural diffusion, where the farmers venture into new enterprise, the difficulties faced, and the decision to change - to reject or accept it. The book is a coherently produced work establishing logical relationships between important variables connected with the cultivation of eucalyptus plantation. The book will be useful to all those who are interested in understanding the economics of eucalyptus cultivation." --Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics "N. C. Saxena must be commended for carrying out this large primary-level field study. The book throws new light on the entire eucalyptus debate in the country, and brings to the forefront some surprising new findings. Most important, the author highlights the vital viewpoint of the farmers themselves, a viewpoint that had been largely ignored in the entire debate." --Seminar "N. C. Saxena's work is a well-researched addition to the material written so far on forestry in developing countries. The work's main strength is that it is focused on a single policy and investigates local impacts in a detailed way. It avoids general descriptions and macro-political analysis in favor of grass roots analysis. The work provides a useful insight into the motivations and farming practices of agrarian communities from which future local forestry policies could benefit." --Journal of Contemporary Asia The only existing study that considers the factors prompting the craze for eucalyptus among Indian farmers, India's Eucalyptus Craze addresses such questions as: Do farmers' socioeconomic background affect the adoption of eucalyptus? How suitable are eucalyptus trees for farm forestry? Is there a regional pattern of adoption? Do problems in the production and marketing of these trees affect their popularity? To examine these questions, the author undertook a detailed field study in North-West India to establish the pattern of adoption of eucalyptus trees over the period of 1980 to 1986. In this volume, he examines the theories developed during the course of the green revolution in India and sheds light on the socioeconomic and regional characteristics of farmers, provides a financial analysis of boundary plantations, and discusses policy issues on farm forestry and land use in India. "An extremely useful book." --Business India "An essential reading for ecologists, environmentalists, students of economic history, political economy and forest management." --The Hindustan Times "In keeping with the academic spirit, Saxena intrepidly investigates the controversy. . . . Saxena's work is meticulous in its field analysis." --The Economic TimesSaxena, N. C. is the author of 'India's Eucalyptus Craze The God That Failed' with ISBN 9780803991668 and ISBN 0803991665.