PhD Geography

Incoming 2017

From Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)

Research Project: Changes in Farmland Use and Implications on Smallholder Farmers' Livelihood: A Study of Murshidabad District, West Bengal, India.

Hallo! My name is Babar Ali. I am a PhD research scholar in Geography at Centre for the Study of Regional Development, New Delhi, India. My PhD work focuses on how the new rurality is being emerged due to farming crisis and stress on smallholder farmers' livelihood in the district of Murshidabad of West Bengal in particular and India in general. This study also intends to investigate 'know-how' policies and failure of state response in agriculture. Smallholder farmers are continuously being dislocated from their farmland and shifted to as agricultural labourers and migrant labourers. This situation is also influenced by the predominance of market economy in India especially after post-liberal era. 

I really enjoy my visit to University of Cologne as a visiting PhD scholar for three months during October-December, 2017.  I extend my deep appreciation to the coordinator-DAAD network, Ulrike Wesch for her constant cooperation and support whenever I need. Being part of this exchange programme, I have received a lot of academic exposures thorough library visit, various interactive sessions and academic workshops organised by Global South Studies Centre (GSSC), and Institute for Geography of the university. I try to get possible suggestions and advices on my PhD research from resource persons/faculties and through academic events as well. I take great interest in interactions and discussions with researchers came from other universities. My visit to University of Cologne not only has enriched my research ideas but also influenced me to understand a cultural milieu of this beautiful city of Cologne. I look forward to meeting such nice people again in the future.