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As part of the study, two districts were chosen in Madhya Pradesh—Sehore and Chhindwara—that fairly represent diverse agricultures and socio-demographic characteristics. Sehore, located 37 kilometres from the state capital, Bhopal, has ample groundwater and canal irrigation with deep black soils that support high yields. Over the past two decades, Sehore’s widespread adoption of soyabeans, an important cash crop, has transformed the district’s agriculture (Kumar 2016). Bhopal’s growth as a city shapes life in this district, especially in terms of employment options. Most of Sehore’s farmers are from traditional land-owning castes. With a Scheduled Tribe (ST) population comprising 11.1 per cent of the total