In order to enhance food production, India has adopted modern agriculture practices and achieved
noteworthy success.This achievement was essentially the result of a paradigm shift in agriculture
that included high inputs of agrochemicals, water, and widespread practice of monoculture, as well as
bureaucratic changes that promoted these changes. There are very few comprehensive analyses of
potential adverse health outcomes that may be related to these changes. The objective of this study is to
identify health risks associated with modern agricultural practices in the southern Indian state of
Karnataka. This study aims to compare high-input and low-input agricultural practices and the
consequences for health of people in these communities. The fieldwork was conducted from May to
August,2009 and included a survey carried out in six villages. Data were collected by in-depth personal
interviews among 240 households and key informants, field observations, laboratory analyses, and data
from secondary sources.