Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) and Agricultural Development in India

Abstract Since independence, remarkable changes have taken place in agriculture in India where food scarcity has given way to excessive production, and new technologies and policies have been incorporated. The traditional methods of soil conservation, water harvesting and crop diversification, which are part of Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), have been a central part of sustainable farming. This paper will discuss agricultural growth since 1947, the green revolution, the diversification into horticultural and high-value crops, and the modern innovations including precision farming, biotechnology and online platforms. It incorporates secondary data on the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoAFW), FAO, and peer-reviewed literature to compare the long-term trends (1950 2025). Results indicate that there has been a shift in production that requires subsistence-driven production to productivity production and now sustainability production. The paper suggests that IKS combined with modern science is the way to solve the issues of climate change, soil degradation, and rural inequality, as well as to guarantee food security and inclusive growth.