In Pursuit of “Man-Made Evolution”

Abstract The use of radiation techniques in agriculture held great promise in postcolonial India's quest to put agriculture on a “scientific basis.” Unpacking its epistemic debates, and the dynamics of international technical assistance, this article contends that the pursuit of atomic agriculture constituted a dominant sociotechnical imaginary among Indian elites to modernize the country's traditional agrarian system. Inducing desirable changes in crops via irradiation occurred against the backdrop of Cold War competition among great powers to woo developing countries through technical aid and assistance, coupled with New Delhi's imperative to become self-sufficient in food-grain production. For Indian scientific elites, the possibility of “man-made evolution” through radiation-induced mutations was institutionally promising. Indian scientists became the standard-bearers of atomic agriculture in the developing world through the effective use of “mutation breeding” as a “complementary” crop improvement technique. However, global epistemic and organizational divides often cast a shadow on the utility of nuclear techniques for India's food sufficiency needs. The use of radiation techniques also became contentious for eclipsing alternate policy pathways in India's agriculture and food systems. India's tryst with atomic agriculture nonetheless embodied its combined desire to attain scientific modernity, strategic autonomy, and self-reliance in food production.