Introduction

The Indian Agricultural Research Institute celebrated its centenary in 2005. Having spent my early childhood at the institute's campus in New Delhi, I was tempted on this occasion to explore the original intention of the institute, set up in 1905 in Pusa in Darbhanga district of Bihar, and the state of agricultural research and extension now, 100 years later, in parts of Bihar that now constitute Jharkhand. This chapter is divided into two sections. The first, based on archival research, provides a historical account of the setting up of the institute – the motivations and purpose as well as the choice of site in Bihar. The second part is based on primary research in Dumka district of the Santal Parganas. The research, however, was conducted in 1999–2000, prior to the formation of Jharkhand, and presents both village-level data on agricultural production and constraints to productivity gains as well as the current status of agricultural extension, reorganised as part of the National Agricultural Technology Project (NATP), supported by a loan from the World Bank.

The Historical Context

Different parts of India had faced serious famine conditions in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. In response to the reports of Famine Commissioners in 1878 and 1898, and John Augustus Voelcker's mission in 1889–90, the imperial government of the time, which had already reconstituted the Department of Revenue and Agriculture and initiated some measures for agricultural improvement, decided to focus more specifically on agricultural research and extension. In October 1901, J. Mollison, Deputy Director of Agriculture, Bombay, was appointed as Inspector General of Agriculture for India, and for his assistance, a botanist and an entomologist were also appointed. But still a need was felt for a full-fledged research laboratory, in order to find ways to combat the famine situation. The idea of a research centre was thus already under consideration when Henry Phipps of the United States visited India, and on seeing the conditions, he came forward with a donation of 20,000 pounds to be devoted to ‘whatever object of public utility (preferably scientific research)’. In accepting this generous offer, it appeared to then British Viceroy, George Nathanie Curzon, that ‘no more practical or useful object could be found to which to devote a portion of this gift, nor one more entirely consonant with the wishes of the donor, than the erection of a laboratory for agricultural research’.