Is the bond between the tiller and his land starting to ebb? Farmers from a village in Uttar Pradesh protested in 2013, not against land acquisition but for the State laying of its earlier plan of acquisition. They hoped that the lump sum compensation amount would help them move out of poverty. Is it then farmers want to move out of agriculture if there is an option? It is true that agricultural incomes are declining – but still a substantial proportion of India’s population depends on agriculture for their livelihood. The article argues farming will continue to be an important driver of the economic chances of millions and for India to grow at 9%, the targeted agriculture growth must be about 4% a year. However, the agricultural sector is neglected by policy makers and there has been a lack of investments in agriculture for a long time. Better recognition is required of the role of agriculture in Indian economy, its role in improving food insecurity, and most importantly, the farm sector’s own role in propelling the non-farm sector. The article concludes with a plea to invest in cutting edge research in agriculture and not merely on e-commerce digital technologies. Steps must be taken to ensure agricultural credit goes to small and medium farmers, not commercial farming companies masquerading as poor farmers.