Canal Irrigation and Agrarian Transformation-The Case of Kesala

The Case of Kesala Pieter Gorter The process of agrarian change in Kesala, a village in Valsad district in south Gujarat, indicates a strong trend towards capitalist farming. This trend is, however, mainly limited to the larger landholders. In the early 1960s, agriculture was already commercialised and wage labour was used on a permanent basis, especially by Patidars and Anavils. These castes had been the peasant vanguard in the process of commercialisation during the 19th and early 20th century. The construction of a large-scale canal irrigation system in south Gujarat has offered these farmers the means to transform from commercial farmers into full-fledged rural capitalist entrepreneurs.