Agriculture in India in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: cross-sectional data from a national survey

This dataset is from a study that aimed to evaluate how the COVID-19 pandemic in India has influenced: (1) cropping patterns and input use, (2) farmers’ willingness to adopt sustainable agricultural practices, and (3) farmers’ COVID-19 symptoms. Data were collected via phone surveys conducted between December 2020 and January 2021 with 3,637 farmers who had previously participated in a nationally representative survey. Variables include cultivation practices such as input use, cropping patterns, and interest in trying agroecological practices; home food production; coping strategies; receipt of support, food insecurity and dietary diversity amongst agricultural laborers; and COVID-19 symptoms and whether the symptoms have affected the farmer’s ability to work. The dataset also includes demographic data including rural versus urban residence; age and gender of the participant; educational attainment of the primary income earner of the household; caste; household size; and whether or not they had a BPL or Antyodaya ration card. Verbal informed consent was obtained from all participants. The Institutional Review Board of the Centre for Media Studies approved this study (protocol #: IRB00006230). This work was funded in part by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, The Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Scottish Government, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and UK Research and Innovation.