The backwardness of the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe population is primarily attributed to their long isolation from the use of natural resources, their exploitation as well as material development. Agriculture is the main source of livelihood for these people. Several special programs have been initiated and implemented for the development of agriculture in the case of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. In this context, the present paper is an attempt to examine the structural characteristics of the agriculture of scheduled castes and tribes and to bring out the relationship between socioeconomic and agro-geographic factors with the help of Common Factor Analysis.

In India, the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe populations are relatively more disadvantaged sections than the rest in terms of socio-economic development. The backwardness of these sections has largely been attributed to their long isolation from the use of natural resources and exploitation as well as material development. Agriculture is the main source of livelihood for these people. In the recent past, modernization of agriculture has brought about a radical change in the progress of agricultural economy. But the fruits of modernization of agriculture through Green Revolution have not been shared by all the crops, areas as well as all the farming communities. Particularly the downtrodden scheduled castes and tribes, whose economy rests on agriculture, are virtually deprived of the enjoyment of the fruits of hybridization in farming. As a result, the gulf widened between the rich farmers with landholdings of large size and poverty-stricken scheduled castes and tribes with small and marginal size land holdings.

Several special programs have been initiated and implemented for the development of agriculture in case of the scheduled castes and tribes. But the success of these programs to improve their economy cannot be totally underlined. At this stage, it is imperative to examine the structural characteristics, functional approaches, and developmental processes of the agriculture of the scheduled castes and tribes at macro-level. Such an analytical study provides essential scope for the assessment of necessary steps to be taken for the wellbeing of these people and ultimately aid for micro-level planning and development of the concerned.In the present paper an attempt is made to examine the structural characteristics of the agriculture of the scheduled castes and tribes and to portray the relationship between socio-economic and agro-geographic dimensions as deduced from the quantitative analysis.