How has horticulture encouraged Indian rural development?

Horticulture plays an important role in providing crops for nutrition and food, besides addressing employment concerns. It gives employment to around 19% of the total labour force. It has become a means of improving livelihood for many women and unprivileged classes too. Flower harvesting, nursery maintenance, hybrid seed production and tissue culture, propagation of fruits and flowers and food processing give employment and remunerative options for women in rural areas.