Agricultural Development during the Mughal Period

The Mughal period witnessed one of the most extensive and productive agrarian economies in pre-modern world history. Agriculture was the chief source of revenue and the foundation of the empire’s political stability. Under systematic revenue administration (Zabt system) and irrigation development, Mughal India became agrarian-rich, market-linked, and regionally diversified.

Agrarian Base and Environmental Conditions

• The Indian subcontinent offered diverse agro-ecological zones — from the fertile Indo-Gangetic plains to the irrigated Deccan and the semi-arid Rajasthan plains.
• Mughal chroniclers like Abul Fazl (Ain-i-Akbari) and Babur (Baburnama) describe vast stretches of well-irrigated and intensively cultivated lands (Around 85–90% of the population was engaged ....