A Toxic Platter for 2026

This paper is the third instalment of a thematic series on the restructuring of Indian agriculture. This instalment comprises selected excerpts from the book The Agrarian Imagination: Development and the Art of the Impossible (2025).While Part 1 analysed the policy shifts that ignited the 2020–21 Indian farmers' protest, the second instalment—written in 2023-24—examines the sophisticated ‘stealth’ policies that emerged following the tactical repeal of the three farm laws in late 2021. It documents how powerful global interests have pivoted toward a fragmented and digitalised approach to agrarian restructuring. This final part rounds off the series by discussing the situation as of January 2026.See Part 1 here.See Part 2 here.These papers build upon the foundational analysis presented in my open-access books, which are listed in the related materials section.