Did the Indian Green Revolution Change the Farm Size–Productivity Relationship?

Rabail Chandio and Leah E. M. Bevis

Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, 2026, vol. 48, issue 3, 591-608

Abstract: We examine the relationship between farm size and productivity during India's Green Revolution, a period of rapid technological transformation. Using a unique panel of over 5000 Indian farm households that spans the Green Revolution (1971–1999), we show that the classic (linear) inverse farm size–productivity relationship gradually evolved into the U‐shaped pattern observed today in India, with both small and large farms outperforming mid‐sized ones, by the turn of the century. The roll‐out of high‐yielding varieties seems to have driven this change, and also driven the increased rate of hired labor use and mechanization on large farms (relative to mid‐sized farms) that underpins that enhanced large farm productivity. Last, we show that the Green Revolution may have reduced the propensity of the smallest farms to grow into medium‐sized farms over time.

Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wly:apecpp:v:48:y:2026:i:3:p:591-608

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