Peaks at 42.2% — the highest recorded share of rural non-farm employment. Two theoretical perspectives explain the rise of rural non-farm work in India — one rooted in agricultural prosperity, the other in agrarian distress. During the following decade, rural non-farm employment continued to expand, peaking at 42.2% in 2018–19, before declining slightly to 39.2% in 2020–21. The emergence of rural non-farm employment in India reflects both agricultural prosperity and agrarian distress. Does the expansion of rural non-farm employment necessarily indicate successful rural development?