India is the second-largest nation in the world, with a population of 1.2 billion. As China rapidly urbanizes, India has become the last of the large nations where village life and traditional farm production survive. While weakened by neoliberal reforms, many government policies continue to support rural institutions. This article addresses the question: Could India become the most prominent exception to the trend that over the last century transformed the United States, Russia, Brazil, and most recently China, from rural to urban nations? If current trends continue, India could join many other nations in Asia and Africa that have shut the door on the possibility of alternative development scenarios that integrate urban and rural life, promote food sovereignty, and reduce their ecological footprints. However, if India’s dynamic and diverse social movements have their way, another world may be possible.
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