Vol. 9, Issue 7, Part C (2025)

The COVID-19 pandemic, unprecedented in both scale and scope, brought far-reaching disruptions to the agricultural sector in India, particularly affecting rural livelihoods and farming communities. This research investigates the multifaceted effects of the pandemic-induced national lockdown on agricultural households, with a focus on three states: Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra. The study employs both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to analyze changes in agricultural productivity, access to essential inputs, market participation, wage income, and food security among 500 farming households from 30 districts. Findings reveal that the pandemic disproportionately impacted vulnerable segments such as landless and smallholder farmers. Disruptions in labor availability, transportation, and input supply chains led to delays in harvesting, increased post-harvest losses, and heightened costs of cultivation and logistics. The majority of landless farmers (only 47% could harvest) faced greater economic insecurity, while smallholders struggled with market closures and reduced income opportunities. In contrast, medium and large farmers demonstrated relatively higher resilience, partly due to greater access to resources, mechanization, and better education levels. In terms of input availability, the supply of seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides experienced sharp declines-most notably in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra-while Telangana showed adaptability through increased use of rental agricultural machinery. The allied sectors, including dairy, poultry, and fisheries, also suffered major setbacks, with fisheries facing the steepest decline in production. Wage-based rural employment plummeted, with an average household income loss of over 70%, further intensifying the rural livelihood crisis. However, the support was unevenly distributed, and many larger farmers lacked access to or information about these programs.