This paper describes the adaptation of agricultural management practices due to structural changes in the urban periphery of Hyderabad, India. We investigate structural-change drivers along with the most common types of adaptation realised by peri-urban farmers and the corresponding environmental impacts. From 120 farmer interviews, in which qualitative and quantitative data were collected, we found that increasing costs for agricultural inputs such as labour and land have motivated farmers to intensify water, machine and chemical use, thereby creating problematic environmental impacts. In addition, farmers also resort to part-time farming and organise efforts to share family labour. Based on these findings, we discuss agricultural policies and strategies within the framework of environmental planning and management for the Greater Hyderabad Area (GHA), drawing policy-design conclusions that may enable better integration of farming into the on-going process of megacity development.