In this speech we will discuss about:- 1. Introduction to Agriculture 2. Status of Indian Agriculture 3. History 4. Diversity 5. Development Since 1947 6. Contribution in Economic Development 7. Seeds of Revolution 8. Problems 9. Future Developments.
Contents:
- Introduction to Agriculture
- Status of Indian Agriculture
- History of Indian Agriculture
- Diversity of Indian Agriculture
- Development of Indian Agriculture Since 1947
- Contribution of Agriculture in Economic Development
- Seeds of Revolution in Indian Agriculture
- Problems Faced in Indian Agriculture
- Future Developments in Indian Agriculture
Speech on Agriculture # 1. Introduction to Agriculture:
Agriculture is a key sector of Indian economy, accounting for about 25 percent share in the gross domestic product (GDP). Agriculture contributes around 15 percent of the country’s total export earnings. Oil seeds account for almost two thirds of the total farm imports making it one of the India’s largest items of imports.
Processed food industry is the fifth largest segment of the economy, representing 6.3% of GDP, 13% of exports and 6% of total industrial investment. India is the second largest producer of rice and wheat in the world, first in pulses and fourth in coarse grains. India is also one of the largest producers of cotton, sugar, sugarcane, peanuts jute and tea.
India ranks first in the production of fruits in the world with an annual output of about 32 million MT (8% of the world fruit production).
India is the second, largest producer of vegetables in the world (ranks next to China) and accounts for about 15% of the world’s production of vegetables.
India is a vast country, covering about 329 million hectare geographical area. Out of the total geographical area, about 166 million hectare is cultivable land and net sown area is about 142 million ha. The gross cropped area increased to about 189.5 million hectares. As a result of Green Revolution in sixties, the total food grain production increased from 51 million tons during 50-51 to 511 million tons in 2001 -2002 and productivity increased from 522 kg /ha to more than 1500 kg / ha.
Speech on Agriculture # 2. Status of Indian Agriculture:
Early agriculture was started by women. In India, early agriculture was primitive. Ancient agricultural methods were improved over the time and today’s agriculture is developed with technological innovations, via selections and rejections. Problems of today’s agriculture are associated with increasing population, small land holdings, and the climate changes. Now the current agriculture needs changes in the future for sustainability and research efforts are needed to meet the challenge.
During recent times, the agricultural decline is in the wake of considerable price volatility in the international market, partly due to climatic change. Land for food versus fuel is becoming a major issue. Adverse changes in rainfall, temperature and sea level rise as a result of global warming is a warning to many countries including India for food production.
Melting of Himalayan glaciers recently resulted in floods of unprecedented dimensions in north India. If agricultural production does not remain above population growth rate and if the public distribution system is starved of grains, there is the likelihood of going back to the pre-independence scenario of recurrent shortages in the physical and economic access to food.
The Indian enigma is the widespread under-nutrition among children, women, and men, in spite of substantial progress due to the green revolution in crop production and the building of grain stocks. One of the greatest achievements of India is its post-independent self-sufficiency in food production in the 1960’s through the Swaminathan Borlaug Green Revolution. Dr. Swaminathan’s evergreen revolution provides avenues for eco-agriculture and even farming with the landscape. Hence, the evergreen revolution concept is the solution, according to E. O. Wilson of Harvard University.
In India, seeds of Green Revolution were sown in 1949 by K. Ramaih and his colleagues in CRRI (Central Rice Research Institute) in Cuttack with a breeding program designed to impart responsiveness to fertilizers by crossing Japonica and Indica rice varieties. The yield revolution in wheat, Rice played a significant role in Indian agriculture at the time when needed most.
The drought in 1966 forced India to rely on food grains from abroad, and wheat of inferior quality came through the Public Law 480 (1954) and later through the Food for Peace Act of 1966 from the United State (U.S.A.).
Currently, India has achieved food Reef- sufficiency and in 2012-13, India was world’s largest Rice exporter. While national food security has been achieved, many households remain food insecure. There are more malnourished people in India than in any other country in the world. Now India ranks 125th among 148 countries in air pollution.
Despite all these, in 2014 Indian farmers produced 95 million tonnes of wheat. At the yield level of 1960, we would need 95 million hectares of land but we are now cultivating this on about 30 million hectares. “The green revolution is both a land saving and forest – saving agriculture,” writes Dr. Swaminathan.
The Key point about yields is inputs are needed for outputs. A plant cannot produce out of anything. Science on its own cannot solve problems and this needs the interaction between technology and public policy.
We, in India, need to adopt a participatory approach. We can combine genetic diversity with genetic efficiency and equity without harming the nature. For example, if all the birds, bugs, bees and other creatures that pollinate our food crops were to disappear from the planet, humans could face a sharp increase in malnutrition, disease, and death in many parts of the world.
Researchers analyzed supplies of 224 types of food in 156 countries, quantified the vitamins and nutrients in foods dependent on animal pollinators, and then calculated what nutritional deficits people could face if pollinators ceased to exist.
While exact prediction is difficult, there is an ample evidence of declining population of certain types of pollinators in many parts of the world. Honeybee Colonies have been reduced up to 30 percent and over 30 years. A Significant decline in wild pollinators has been documented across the world. This decline is associated with overuse of pesticide and loss of habitats.
We would have no tomorrow if plants in this world disappear. The world nurtures between 250,000 and 300,000 types of plants and in reality, plants have played a dynamic role in shaping our agricultural history.
This is a good time to look at how plants have altered the history of our life on the earth and how they continue to play a pivotal role. The Green Revolution is one such example how cereal crops played an important role and provided us the needed food security.
However, we have self-harmed our plants and biodiversity by over grazing. We know that plants are a major factor in the environmental drama of global warming. Perils of destroying our plants could alter the course of history forever.
Speech on Agriculture # 3. History of Indian Agriculture
:
Bronze Age (1800-16 BC):
Wheat, Barley, Millets, Pulses Sesame, Mustard were cultivated along with cattle raising. Prior to this period, wild rice was under cultivation. Mixed farming was also practiced. The irrigation system was developed to irrigate crops. Shifting cultivation was prevalent and the farming was practiced without disturbing soil structure and texture. Animals on the land supplied essential nutrients through dung, urine along with crop residue to rejuvenate the soil.
Vedic Period (1500-1000 B.C.):
During this period, sages were involved in imparting knowledge to sons of elites and farming was practiced to fulfill daily needs of the people residing in the Gurukul. Major crops included wheat and rice along with pulses and fruit trees. Cow acquired a sacred status as cow dung, urine and animal and plant waste were utilized to enrich the soil. Large herds of cows were raised and the number of animals established the richness of the Gurukul. Large scale farming was also practiced by the general public who were mostly illiterate. The Rigveda advises the public to forget to gamble and accept farming (Akshairya Divyaha Krushimit Krushaswha) for good living.
Post-Vedic Period (1000-600 B.C.):
This period revolutionized the farming system. For cultivating land, wooden plows were invented and for breaking the soil surface, iron plows were invented. This resulted in more land acquisition for crop cultivation and more food production. During this period, major agricultural crops like wheat, sorghum, pulses, and oilseeds were under cultivation. Sequential crop cultivation was followed.
Buddhist Period (600 B.C.):
This period saw higher castes like Brahmins, Shaiva and other elites involved in farming. During this period wheel was invented and utilized for carriages, agricultural equipment and for water harnessing. Animal husbandry was part of the farming. Goat keeping, cow herding, and breeding were prevalent. Agricultural laborers were introduced in this age for land preparation, crop growing, harvesting, and marketing.
Magadh Period (400 B.C.):
People began to live in groups around the riverside land to ensure constant water supply which was the beginning of the village formation. To protect the crop from animals, trees and bushes were planted around farms which resulted in farm boundary and ownership. During this period, the farming people understood the importance of protection of seeds of cultivable crop and fruit-bearing trees and thus the awareness to collect the crop germplasm began.
The farming community was involved in cultivating cereals, pulses, fiber crops, fruit and flowering plants. The main source of soil nourishment was cow dung, animal urine, and plant waste. Cattle grazing in fallow season enriched the soil. In this era, shifting cultivation stopped and the same land was used for a farming year after year.
The Ashoka Period (268 – 232 B.C.):
This is the golden era of Indian agriculture as farming was encouraged and required facilities were provided to the farmers for crop cultivation. Agroforestry and fruit tree cultivation was given priority. The roadside plantation was introduced and shade trees, fruit-bearing trees and flowering trees were utilized for planting. Tree avenues were prevalent. Artificial water reservoirs were developed in this era. Such kind of a reservoir is still there near the foothills of Mount Girnar in Junagadh town, where an edifice is erected by the king.
Mauryan Period (322-185 B.C.):
Soil categorization was prevalent and rain fall pattern was recorded for crop cultivation. Construction of dams was the main source for water utilized for crop irrigation. Horse drawn chariots were the main means of transport. Megasthenis (300 BC) gives an eye witness’ account in his book, India.
Gupta Period (300-500 A.D.):
This too is regarded as a golden age. Farmers and the general public were happy with the rulers. The agriculture was brought to scientific footing as information on land, crop cultivation, seed collection and preservation, seasonal weather effects on crop, water requirement of the crop was systematized. The land records were kept and farming was encouraged. Kallani, the oldest dam was built on the river Cauveri during this period. Crystallized sugar was also discovered during this period.
Harshavardhan Era (606 – 647 A.D.):
Early Arab visitors systematically collected the information on farming, crop and fruit tree cultivation, seed preservation and land tending. Cow herds were regarded as prestigious for land cultivation as the dung and urine were the main sources for land rejuvenation. Animal husbandry flourished in this era. Farming was the main occupation.
Moghul Period (1206-1761 AD):
This period systematized the land revenue system. Farming was given more importance and loans were given to the farming community for the purchase of cattle, seed and farm equipment. Marketing of food grains was regularized and horticulture and gardening were encouraged. Fruit tree germplasm was preserved and new fruit trees like prunes, akrod and date palm were introduced. During Akbar the Great’s (1556-1605) regime, Todarmal formulated elaborate methods for farm management. Portuguese introduced tobacco in India and large-scale cultivation began.
Spices and condiments cultivation was predominant in the Malabar. New varieties of fruits like pineapple, papaya, cashew, custard apple and crops like potatoes, red and green chilies, tomatoes etc. were introduced by the Portuguese. Mango varieties became very popular and large plantation of Mango was found in Utter Pradesh and surrounding areas. This era changed food habits of Indians to a great extent.
British Rule (1757 -1947):
Agriculture got a firm footing during the British Rule. Cotton, opium, wheat, and rice attracted the global market during this period. Tea and coffee cultivation was wide spread. Cultivable area increased and agricultural production boosted. Systematic crop improvement programs were undertaken during this period.
In Andhra Pradesh, Narmada valley and Punjab; canal network was created and irrigated agriculture increased in this area. However; the yield of the crop was stagnant which affected production. Food wise the country was deficient. This resulted in systematic crop breeding efforts in cotton, jute, wheat and other crops. The farming became systematic during this period.
The Indian Republic (1947 Onwards):
Government understood that Agriculture could not wait as the population was starving. Special programs were introduced to improve food and cash crop supply. Grow more food program and Integrated Food Production program was introduced during 1950. Five-year programs were initiated during this time focusing attention on food production.
Land reclamation, land development, mechanization, electrification and use of chemical fertilizers got priority. Green Revolution (cereals, especially wheat, sorghum bajra and maize 1965), Yellow revolution (oil seeds 1986), Operation flood (dairy 1970), Blue Revolution (fishery 1973) were established, where elite scientists were involved. This resulted in a significant growth in food production.
The green revolution also resulted in extensive use of fertilizers and pesticides. Food processing received priority. A new field of Biotechnology entered the agriculture sector during the late eighties and it revolutionized crop production, especially cotton. Extensive utilization of chemical fertilizers by farmers to increase the yield of hybrid varieties started immediately during green revolution.
During this period, the nutritional aspect of food grains was a priority. In 1963 Bhakra Nangal Dam was completed and the entire Punjab and part of Rajasthan came under irrigation. Crop production, especially of wheat increased. Agricultural export boosted. Farmers of these areas became rich. The agricultural reform resulted in more consumption of fruits, meat, dairy products, fish, and vegetables by Indian public, especially the middle class.
The per capita consumption of cereals declined while that of fruits, vegetables, and dairy products increased by 500,200,100 percent, respectively. Contract farming raised its head in the twenty-first century. Small landholders started facing economic problems due to limited production and fluctuating market rate along with scanty rainfall. This resulted in frustration among small holders.
Due to escalating social and economic problems and with no solution in sight, farmers from Andhra, Karnataka, and Maharashtra sought an escape route through suicides. The major contributing factors leading to suicides included inadequate government support, faulty credit system, poor agricultural income, crop failure, no irrigation facilities, poor power supply, no suitable price structure, no counseling system and no alternative income.
Indian Council of Agricultural Research was established in 1929. Under ICAR, the agricultural network for crop research was well established. A notable contribution was made by Institutes by releasing high yielding varieties and providing suitable technologies to the farming community. National Dairy Development Board And National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development were established in 1965 and 1982 respectively to aid the agrarian development.
These two institutes boosted the formation of cooperatives and improved agricultural finance. Since independence, we became one of the largest producers of wheat, edible oils, rubber, potato, spices, tea, eggs, fishing, fruits, milk, cashew nut, ginger, coconut, banana, turmeric, pulses, black paper and vegetable in the world. Agriculture accounts for 20 percent of India’s GDP and 50 percent country’s workforce.
Immediately after the independence the agriculture was traditional and was unable to meet the demand of food for growing population. This resulted in importing food grains from the USA under PL 480. The grains were of inferior quality but the government distributed it to the people through rationing system. The generation of the fifties was grown on Milo and flint maize.
The arable land in India is around 140,145 million hectares and in future, this will be decreased due to road widening, industrial growth, and housing colonies.
The advent of Genetically Modified crops created many cries for its suitability for human consumption, allergic reaction in humans, environmental pollution, and other doubts. Bt cotton is now accepted by cotton growers after proper evaluation of fields. As the Bt cotton gave more yield under rain-fed and irrigated condition, it is now accepted by most cotton growers and more than 90 percent of the cotton belt is under Bt.
Bt cotton gives more yield as compared to non-Bt cotton and use of pesticides is reduced due to the killing of Leipedopterous insects by the production of toxin in the guts of larva while feeding on the Bt leaves. However, the menace of sucking pest is increased as per ecological conditions.
Speech on Agriculture # 4. Diversity of Indian Agriculture:
Agriculture is producing food, feed, fuel, fiber and other goods by the systematic growing/harvesting of plants, animals and other life forms. “Agriculture” may commonly refer to the study of the practice of agriculture (also, “agronomy” or “agricultural science). Agriculture encompasses many subjects, including aquaculture, cultivation, animal husbandry, and horticulture.
Each of these subjects can be further partitioned: for example, cultivation includes both organic farming and intensive farming, and animal husbandry includes ranching, herding, and intensive pig farming. Agricultural products include fodder, (starch, sugar, alcohols and resins), fibers (cotton, wool, hemp, silk and flax), fuels (methane from biomass, ethanol, biodiesel), cut flowers, ornamental and nursery plants, tropical fish and birds for the pet trade, and both legal and illegal drugs (biopharmaceuticals, tobacco, marijuana, opium, cocaine).
That despite developments in the field of agriculture research, Indian agriculture is still traditional. It may be true due to the fact that agriculture in India is performed by villagers, who won generally small and marginal size farms, poorly equipped, using traditional equipment’s and also the traditional practices.
One of the salient features of traditional farming systems throughout the developing world is their high degree of biodiversity. These traditional farming systems have emerged over centuries of cultural and biological evolution and represent accumulated experiences of indigenous farmers interacting with the environment without access to external inputs, capital, or modern scientific knowledge. Using inventive self-reliance, experiential knowledge, and locally available resources, traditional farmers have often developed farming systems with sustained yields.
Speech on Agriculture # 5. Development of Indian Agriculture Since 1947:
The Green Revolution of the sixties helped to instill self-confidence in Indian farmers and also to achieve a balance between population growth and food production. A revolutionary progress, particularly in the production of wheat and rice became possible through synergy between the technology and the public policy supported by farmers’ enthusiasm generated through national demonstrations in fields.
Mostly, farmers with small holdings were preferred. From the nineties onwards, there has been a decline in the rate of growth of food production. It is widely felt that there has been a fatigue of the green revolution. Simultaneously, several environmental and economic problems hampering agricultural growth appeared. Obviously, if farm economics and ecology go wrong, nothing else will go right in agriculture.
Looking back on India’s progress in agriculture since 1947, when Jawaharlal Nehru made the famous statement “everything else can wait, but not agriculture”, we see four distinct phases in the agricultural development.
Phase I (1947-64):
This was the Jawaharlal Nehru era where the major emphasis was on the development of infrastructure for scientific agriculture. Steps taken included, the establishment of fertilizer and pesticide factories, construction of large multi-purpose irrigation-cum- power projects, organization of community development and national extension programmes and above all, the starting of agricultural universities, beginning with the Post Graduate School of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute established in 1958 as well as new Agricultural Research Institutions, for example the Central Rice Research Institute at Cuttack, and the Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla.
During this period, the population started increasing by over 3 percent per year in several states of the country due to steps are taken to strengthen the public health care systems coupled with advances in preventive and curative medicine. The growth in food production was inadequate to meet the consumption needs of the growing population, and food imports became essential. Such food imports, largely under the PL-480 program of the United States, touched a peak of 10 million tonnes of wheat in 1966.
Phase II (1965-1985):
This period coincided with the leadership of Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi followed by Morarji Desai and Charan Singh as Prime Ministers. The emphasis was on maximizing the benefits of the infrastructure created during Phase I, particularly in the areas of irrigation and technology transfer. Major gaps in the strategies adopted during Phase-I were filled, as for example, the introduction of semi-dwarf high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice, which could utilize sunlight, water and nutrients more efficiently and yield 2 to 3 times more than the strains included in the Intensive Agriculture District Programme (IADP) of the early sixties.
This period also saw the reorganization and strengthening of agricultural research, education and extension and the creation of institutions for providing farmers assured marketing opportunities and remunerative prices for their produce. Among political leaders, Shri C Subramaniam, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh played an important role in stimulating agricultural progress through enlightened public policies. A National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) was set-up. All these steps led to a quantum jump in the productivity and production of crops like wheat and rice, a phenomenon christened in 1968 as the green revolution.
The green revolution generated a mood of self-confidence in India’s agricultural capability. The gains were consolidated during the VI Five Year Plan period (1980-85) when for the first time agricultural growth rate exceeded the general economic growth rate, largely because of the priority accorded to irrigation. Also, the growth rate in food production exceeded that of the population. The VI Plan achievements illustrate the benefits arising from farmer-centric priorities in investment and from the emphasis placed on bridging the gap between scientific know- how and field level do-how.
Phase III (1985-2000):
The Mission approach involved concurrent attention to conservation, cultivation, consumption, and commerce of commercial crops. Rain fed areas and wastelands received greater attention and a Wasteland Development Board was setup. River pollution received attention and a Ganga Action Plan was started. Wherever an end-to-end approach was introduced involving attention to all links in the production – consumption chain, progress was steady and sometimes striking, as in the case of milk and egg production.
This period ended with large grain reserves with Government, with the media highlighting the coexistence of “Grain Mountains and hungry millions”. This period also saw a gradual decline in public investment in irrigation and the infrastructure essential for agricultural progress as well as a gradual collapse of the cooperative credit system. Large grain reserves led to a mood of complacency as regards priority to agriculture.
Phase IV (2001 to Present Day):
Despite the efforts of Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh, this phase is best described as one characterized by policy fatigue resulting in technology, extension and production fatigues.
No wonder that farmers who keep us alive by providing food grains, are now forced to take their own lives and 40 percent of them want to quit farming if there is an alternative option.
Speech on Agriculture # 6. Contribution of Agriculture in Economic Development:
India is an agricultural country. More than two-third of its population is dependent on agriculture for its livelihood and lives in villages. Agriculture and its allied activities play a significant role in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and it is thus considered to be the backbone of Indian economy. In the year 2012-13, the share of agriculture in country’s GDP was 13.7 per cent.
Agriculture is undoubtedly a big source of employment for the people. In India, it is estimated that 54 per cent of labour force is directly engaged in the agricultural sector. For the economic development of the country, it becomes almost a necessity to reduce the dependence of large proportion of population on agriculture.
The people who had to face hardships of seasonal and disguised unemployment should be employed in secondary and tertiary sectors. It is a fact that with the growth and development of a country, the dependence on agriculture automatically decreases and reliance on service sector increases.
In our country, people engaged in agricultural sector are also involved doing its allied activities. About 70 million of the households are engaged in dairy fanning in India, which is even more than the total population of many countries in the world. Agro-enterprises such as dairy farming, poultry farming, fish fanning, piggery, animal husbandry, bee-keeping, forestry, etc. are to some extent, dependent upon agriculture.
Fodder for animals and trees and flowers for honeybees are the integral part of agriculture. These enterprises, besides providing better and nutritious diet to the people in the form of milk, eggs, meat, fish, honey etc. also supplement the income of those who adopt these agro-enterprises. It helps in capital formation which strengthens the economy of the country.
Agriculture is also important for the industrial development of a country. Many basic industries get raw material from agriculture, for example cotton for textile industry, sugarcane for sugar industry, jute for jute industry etc. Many small and cottage industries like rice-shellers, oil mills etc. too depend on agriculture for the supply of raw material. Moreover, the industrial sector gets market for its produce in agricultural sector.
The marketing of tractors, agricultural machinery, fertilizers etc. which are produced in industries depends upon agricultural growth and income of farmers. Therefore, it can be said that industrial sector grows with the growth and development of agriculture. The development of these two sectors led to the economic development of the country.
Next to the agricultural (Primary) and industrial (Secondary) sectors in an economy, the third and the last sector is service or Tertiary sector. This sector provides services such as banking services, transport facilities, warehouses, insurance, tourism, etc. to agricultural and industrial sectors. This sector, too, registers a growth with the development in agricultural sector.
The transportation of food grains from the state or place where it is available in abundance to the state or place where it is in short supply, development of means of transportation and to augment the income of the people engaged in it, all depends upon agriculture. Similarly, the railways which transport agricultural produce from one place to another benefit economically and with this the railways expand their network.
Agriculture is a major source of food. India is the second largest populous country in the world. As per an estimate, about 60 per cent of the household consumption is derived from agriculture. Immediately after independence, our country had to rely on import of food grains for decades.
The use of high yielding variety seeds, farm machinery, chemical fertilizers and pesticides, constant research by agricultural scientists and tireless work of farmers ushered in Green Revolution in the country. Besides, the increase in production of cereal crops such as wheat and rice, the production of non-food crops like tea, coffee, spices, fruits, vegetables, etc. also increased many fold.
In India, the production of food grains was 51 million tones in 1950-51 which increased to 264 million tones in 2013-14. The yield of food grains also increased to about 2125 kilograms per hectare. The country has now become self-sufficient in the field of food grains.
Despite continuous increase in the population, in the year 2012, the country had a buffer stock of 82 million tones of food grains which was itself a record. This stock of food grains helps in exercising control on prices in case of its inflation in future under the fear of fall in supply. With the control over food grains prices, the prices of other commodities are also controlled.
In our country, the poor and needy get food grains every month from this stock under Public Distribution System (PDS). Food security in the country could also be ensured due to buffer stock of food grains and agricultural development.
The Government of India has enacted Food Security Act in 2013, by which it is provided that 75 per cent of rural and 25 per cent of urban population will be given 5 kg of food grains per person of food grains every month. About 61 million tones of wheat would be supplied at a subsidized rate to feed about 82 crores of population ever year. This is a significant scheme for the poor.
India’s foreign trade is closely linked with agriculture. Many agricultural products such as tea, coffee, cotton, oil, fruits, vegetables, pulses, cashew nuts, spices and even rice and wheat are now exported. In year 2012, India got first position in rice exports which was previously held by Thailand. As per Economic Survey 2013, India is now placed at number ten in export of agricultural produce and food grains in the world.
Besides this, cotton textiles, yarn, readymade garments and jute products are also exported. India’s gross agricultural exports stood at 42 billion dollar in 2013-14 whereas, during the same period, total agricultural imports were worth 17 billion dollar. During the year 2013-14, India’s balance of trade was surplus of 25 billion dollars.
Agriculture is also a major source of revenue for the central and the state governments. The central government levies import duty on the import of agricultural items and thereby earns revenue. The state governments generate their chunk of income through land revenue, irrigation tax, etc.
Besides this, the fee imposed on marketing of agricultural crops brings good income to the Government exchequer. The revenue, thus, generated is again spent on economic development of the country in a planned manner which makes economy of the country strong.
Speech on Agriculture # 7. Seeds of Revolution in Indian Agriculture:
Rice and wheat are the world’s most important food crops. They have transformed landscape across the globe and fed the most population. Grains are the most important plant products in the world. Grains are not only edible; they are also portable, storable and can be turned in to a bread.
Wheat grains were almost certainly the first crop brought into cultivation by Stone Age People and these have fed much of the world and farm animals ever since. No other plant has so transformed the green revolution in India, filled with vitamins minerals, starches and protein and storable. After Rice and Wheat, maize and millets are the most important cereal crops on the planet and useful plants in Indian farming.
When India became independent in 1947, people suffered from acute food shortage, leading to the introduction of food rationing. The Green Revolution provided food security to India. But now India population is likely to reach above 1.5 billion in next 25-30 years, so development to sustain “Ever Green Revolution is needed to produce more for the growing population,” writes M.S. Swaminathan in Combating Hunger and Achieving Food Security.
According to Swaminathan, “Without vision, farming and people will perish”. So, there is a serious need to stop the loss of genetic biodiversity, caused by land limitation and changing farming practices due to climate change. India will suffer difficulty in producing the quantities of food needed for its population and proper planning is a must to feed the growing population.
Now the land availability is getting reduced due to increased land use for roads, buildings, water channels, the SEZ and ever expanding cities. India is going through serious agrarian crises. These crises are reflected in the ecology, decline of soil health, poor storage facilities and soil fragmentations. The climate change is creating new farming systems (FSR’s) in Indian agriculture. Both drought and floods remain common threats in several areas and need to be monitored and controlled with appropriate solutions.
In industrially developed countries, farmers constitute 2 to 4 per cent of the population. The per capita income for farmers is high both because of the size of the farm operated and the extensive support extended by the government. These are technology, capital, and subsidy rich nations, unlike India. Indian small size farming cannot survive without substantial support.
The proportion of percentage and number of households in India make farming uneconomical. For example, 10.3 percent are landless; 48.7 percent whose farm size is 0.01-0.04 hectares only; 18.8 percent with 0.41 – 1.0 hectares holding and 11.2 percent with 1.0 – 2.0 hectares; 7.1 percent with 2.01 – 4.0 hectares and 3.9 percent have held of 4.01 hectares and above.
In a small holding, it is impossible to maintain the family. Available and is declining due to increasing population. Despite this, agriculture today constitutes the backbone of the livelihood security system for over 60 percent of our population. “If agriculture goes wrong, nothing else will have a chance to right,” says the father of the Indian Green Revolution – M. S. Swaminathan. Therefore, all Indian states and the central government must give more priority to the changing agricultural needs of the farming communities.
The green revolution did increase the crop yields for few essential crops but affected the soil health, due to the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides and has reduced the soil fertility and original structure of soil for crop cultivation. According to Dr. M. S. Swaminathan, “Now, we in India need new ideas and knowledge which must reach and benefit the grass root levels. A vision of sustainable agricultural development based on eco-friendly ideas. Pro-nature, pro-poor policies and women empowerment are must in tomorrow’s agricultural progress in India.”
Future agriculture needs a positive attitude, self-confidence and full determination to confront our present challenges, where organic, inorganic or I.P.M. pesticides and the G.M.O. (genetically modified crops) need to be utilized. But the farming and farmers problems should not be neglected, as we must find creative solutions via innovative technologies.
We must plan for an “EVERGREEN REVOLUTION”, and for this, the emphasis has to be laid on natural resources management to produce more from less, reduce use, reuse, and recycle our natural resources. The waste is considered as wealth and all the waste needs to be recycled to be used as resources for production.
All farmers are scientists and can play an important role in plant selection and hybridization. In China, farmers of Hinan Island identified the male sterile plants which provided the basis for hybrid rice. Similarly, breeders’ and farmers’ rights need to be recognized in the agricultural research in India.
A scientist must work in close collaboration with farmers and constantly keep in mind the changing field realities, under the current climate change situation.
With affordable technologies, we must make agriculture secure with water security, and this cannot be ensured in a purely monsoon dependent agriculture. We in India, in all states, must make water harvesting mandatory at all levels in the households, farms, cities, and factories.
The Roman philosopher Seneca, the younger (4 BC – 65 AD) said, “A hungry person listens not to reason, nor cares for justices, nor is bent by any prayers. He wants food today.” Malthus wrote about the growing population and inadequate food production that would limit human survival. We need the knowledge to solve agricultural problems of food production and availability.
Both, the central and state governments should not neglect farmers’ problems. Farmers’ suicides have increased over the last decade. According to the recent report of National Crime Record Bureau, more than 10 percent of all recorded suicides between 2010 and 2014 (over 15,000 per year), has been that of farmers.
It is clearly the reality of farming distress and agrarian crisis in India. The major cause for such happenings is the failure of affordable technologies and the heavy input cost for small and the poor farmers. Lack of appropriate planning and support from the government along with our social system are other causes.
A broad strategy is proposed in this book on agriculture, titled – “Indian Agriculture Yesterday – today – and for tomorrow” (A New Dimension to the Indian Agriculture). This book covers various topics related to Indian agriculture, written by the eminent authors such as, Dr. Ramesh B. Thakare, Former Farming Systems Specialist, World Bank/ADB Projects; Dr. P. T. Shukla, Professor of Genetics; Dr. Sivaswaroop, Regional Director Indira Gandhi National Open University, Nagpur; Professor Sanjay Deshmukh, Vice Chancellor, Mumbai University; Dr. K. S. Gajbhiye, The Soil Scientist and special assistance was obtained from Ms. Kavitha Kuruganti on the sustainable agriculture and the women empowerment; Dr. Subash M. Taley, Professor Water Technology, and a soldier turned in to farming, Brigadier Sudhir Sawant.
There are several agricultural universities and KVK’s in India, The union budget of 2015 has made a provision for more institutions to rectify farming problems and efforts are made to save the farmers from committing suicides.
With new technologies, the many crops such as strawberries are grown hanging in mid-air and without soil in green houses. The technique of hydroponics is not new. It has been used to grow fruits and vegetables in soil free conditions. Many farmers need to use modern technologies for crop and fruit productions and save the land. The roof top farming is one such alternative to save the excessive use of limited land that we have.
The future of agriculture could be made bright, provided there is a coordination between the policymakers, researchers, farmers and students of agriculture. A strong ethical foundation is a must for the agriculture to be sustainable through an evergreen revolution in India.
We endeavor to provide an account of the factual situation of the agriculture in India we hope to find ways and means for devising strategies for the future agricultural policies which would make agriculture sustainable and eco- friendly without farmers’ distress and suicides.
Speech on Agriculture # 8. Problems Faced in Indian Agriculture:
Our agriculture suffers from the problems of, deficient productivity, lack of infrastructure, defective management, defective distribution system and unnecessary losses of produce.
The low productivity is caused firstly by small land holdings which are less than 2 acres on an average, as explained above. These holdings are often over manned resulting in disguised unemployment and low productivity per working hand. However, China, whose small holders constitute 97% of its farming population, has higher productivity than ours.
This is attributed to the fact that in China smallholder farmer is able to rent his land to larger farmers. Secondly, China has an organized retail and extensive market, and the necessary infrastructure.
Our deficient production is also attributed to the inadequacy of the adoption of modern agricultural practices and inadequate use of technology particularly on account of the ignorance of such practices. There are also high costs involved in, and the impracticability of the use of, modern technology on account of small land holdings.
The second cause is illiteracy, general socio-economic backwardness, slow progress in implementing land reforms, inadequate and inefficient finance and marketing services for farm produce. In addition, there are inadequate irrigation facilities as revealed by the fact that only about 35% of the land is irrigated as per the figures of 2003-04, and 2/3rd of the land is dependent on monsoon. Out of the total 159.7 million hectares, only 82.6 million hectares are irrigated.
With the above data, the remedies to improve our agriculture and the conditions of the farmers are obvious.
The first and foremost step that has to be taken is to introduce a cooperative system of operations from the stage of production to distribution. At present, every agriculturist is left to himself to face his fate, to secure all the infrastructure facilities from water, electricity, and credit, to cultivation, harvesting, storage, and distribution. He is a unique laborer in that, not only he puts his own labor in the field but also the labor of all his available family members. He also invests his own money in it, which is always borrowed from rapacious money lenders at high rates of interest.
Even if he produces to the full capacity of his meager land, he is thereafter hampered by a lack of storage facilities and has to rely on middlemen to sell his produce. The so-called Market Committees, wherever established, have become add-ons of middlemen. He has no control over the fruits of his labor.
All these difficulties can be adequately dealt with if the farmers in every village unite for collective operations from the stage of production till the sale of their produce. This unity of operations can be achieved through cooperative societies of the farmers in every village. The entire land of the village has to be pooled together for collective cultivation and all the operations, up to the sale of the total produce, should be made through the society. This will give many advantages.
First of all, every farmer will give his land on rent to the society, with his title to the land remaining intact. He will earn rent from the society for it, in proportion to the size of his holding, from out of the sale proceeds of the entire production of the village. In addition, everyone working on the land so pooled will be entitled to remuneration as decided by the society according to the hours of work put in by him/her.
Secondly, being united with others he will never feel isolated to face all the vicissitudes of the farming operations. On the other hand, with the other farmers with him, he will feel both socially and economically secure. The present tendency to commit suicides will automatically wane and disappear.
Thirdly, the cooperative society will reap the advantage of the “economies of scale” in securing all the inputs, right from water, electricity, credit, latest modern equipment and technology, seeds, fertilizers, insecticides, etc., storage and transport. The Society will sell the produce on beneficial terms. The middleman will be automatically eliminated.
Further, all the facilities made available to the farmer by the Government and other agencies will be easy to procure through the collectivity like Society. What’s more, there will also be an indirect social gain in that, farmers belonging to all castes and religions will work together under one umbrella, and this will lead to general social unity.
It may not be necessary to register such societies. They will and can, work autonomously as self-regulating bodies without interference from any outside agency, given the good understanding among the farmers.
To solve the problem of improving productivity, steps will have to be taken to improve soil, sow better seeds, deploy modern techniques and equipment of production, increase the supply and improve the use of water and electricity, adopt new cropping patterns, improve the quality of inputs like fertilisers, change the crops according to the demand of the market and the capacity of the land to produce the new crops which may fetch more price, etc. These improvements at all levels can be better secured only through the collectivity like the society.
So also the infrastructure including the education of the farmer, feeding him with the necessary information about the improved techniques of production, climatic and marketing conditions, provision of roads, availability of the latest machinery for production, availability of godowns for storage, cold storage, transport and connectivity with the market and sale of the produce in the market etc., can be secured better, quickly and cheaply only through the society.
Through the collectivity like the Society, it will be easier to eliminate middlemen at all stages, secure credit at cheaper rate and avail of the facilities made available by different government and non-government agencies. For example, the money lender who plays a dominant role in the life of the agriculturists today, particularly with the small holdings, can be eliminated, and the credit from the banks and credit societies can be secured at the minimum possible interest rate, with the security offered by the society.
The next best thing that has to be undertaken is the task to boost the existing agro-based and allied industries and start new ones on a sufficient scale, to boost the income of the farmers.
These industries should also be started on a cooperative basis. More improvement in agriculture will not fetch adequate income to the farmer, particularly with a small holding. The farmer must get income at least on a par with the salaries of the 4th grade Government employees, if not more.
The boost to the agro-industries will also generate local employment on a large scale. It must be remembered that our cottage and small scale industries provide four times more employment than the organized large scale industries, even today. The neglect of agro-industries and handicrafts is in no small way responsible for the present enormous unemployment.
The agro and allied industries include a variety of occupations such as rearing poultry, sheep, and cattle, beekeeping for honey, sericulture, horticulture, pisciculture, industries like sugar, jute, cotton, tea, coffee, edible oil, coconut oil, etc.
It will thus be seen that what is needed, is the co-overutilization of the agriculture from the stage of production to the stage of distribution for improving the productivity, and for securing proper remuneration to the agriculturist. Once, agriculture prospers, the other entire industries and occupations dependant on and allied to it will also have a bright future. It should not be forgotten that it is agriculture which produces not only food but also the raw material for many of the large scale, medium, small scale and cottage industries.
With the improvement in agriculture, the employment not only in the fields but also in the factories, services, and all other occupations will also increase by geometrical progression. We will have an all sided development of our economy in the near future. We have therefore to start a movement for revolution in agriculture by cooperativities it.
Speech on Agriculture # 9. Future Developments in Indian Agriculture:
As journalists and policy makers consider critical factors for determining and reporting future developments in the twenty-first-century for agriculture in India, eight major factors jump forward for consideration – Education, technological developments, sustainable practices, soil management, water usage, land reform, economic opportunity, and food distribution.
These eight considerations arise out of current issues debated regularly in parliament at state and national levels. Indeed, the debates have become common everywhere around the world. Therefore, responsible journalism should encourage broad-ranging articles ensuring full coverage of various findings and points of view. Only in this way can ordinary citizens, as well as the political classes that are supposed to serve them, have opportunities to break free from the bondage of ideological restrictions.
Along with the factors identified in the present overview, journalists should also be mindful of the right to safe and nutritious food guaranteed in Article 47 of the Indian Constitution. Practically speaking, presenting useful information falls as much on educators as with journalists and other members of the media. Therefore, we will first consider issues of education, possible educational reforms, and what they might contribute to agricultural practices.
Education makes any reform understandable and deployable. Dr. Pravin Bhatia, chairman of Indira Gandhi National University, IGNOU, calls for reforms to improve ways people learn, calling it “creative education” in his talks and lectures. Considering new methods for instructing can take advantage of new technologies and how people communicate today.
While DR Bhatia narrows the discussion to radical reform of the classroom experience, engaging students to work collaboratively under the guidance of a teacher, the broader view of education as the key to enhancing knowledge remains the central guiding principle.
Education should be relatively free from artificial constraints placed on colleges and universities by major-agricultural corporations. Limits on research, obfuscating facts, all in favor of seeking financial compensation from these corporations must be kept separate, or at least minimized, from decisions about what research a university, its faculty, and students pursue. After all, the goal is discovery, not confirming beliefs.
Technology may obstruct or improve agricultural developments – A second point, technological developments also rises quickly to the top of our list. During the “first green revolution” the allure of science as sadhu and avatar to improve the agricultural-sectors ability to feed the growing numbers of humans on Earth often seems to have pushed developments for their own sake, rather than determine their appropriateness. The undue attachment to technology, or material enhancements, failed to follow up the question of “can we do this” with the essential query, “should we?” It has often been said in discussions of scientific ethics, just because we can, does not mean we should!
When covering or considering improvements to agricultural practices for a population that will soon thrust India into occupying position number one in the list of most-populous countries. How can the education and technology sectors work with farmers to improve efficiencies? The implied suggestion here is encouraging what the feudal tenure for the manorial system during Europe’s Middle Ages stipulated as “counsel” and “maintenance.” The first refers to advice devoid of harm or subterfuge, an ideal all too often neglected during the later colonial period. The second refers to obligations to sustain and cause no harm to the interests or condition of neither the feudal lord nor his vassal or Tennent.
Of course, self-serving practices of British businessmen, the original “Ferangi’ and of imperial administrators, sparked reactions, including Gandhi’s famous “salt march.” India in mass turned her attentions to self-sustainable practices for both agricultural and industrial industries. Technology offers opportunities to discover and develop new ways and refine older methods to improve the condition of life for all members of society.
Properly done, improvements improve local and national domestic efficiencies and make it possible for the land to continue to feed more people from its plant and animal products Journalists when they follow widely accepted standards, often called “the cannon,” serve as guardians and gatekeepers of the public trust. They gather and report to empower decision making and good governance in modern-democratic systems.
Scientists and educators, together with students and other stakeholders, such as India’s vast numbers of small landholders, both men, and women, depending on the best practices of journalists to inform their work together. The best practices of modern journalism also require reporters to serve the common good, promote the general welfare, and cover abuses and mismanagement by others.
These roles come with international protections and recognition under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as ratified by the United Nations General Assembly. Journalists are minded to remember such protections come to them in recognition of their responsibilities to report fully.
Sustainable practices have become a critical part of life in the twenty-first century.
In December, India joined the chorus of nations in recognizing “climate change” as a growing threat to the biosphere we all depend upon for survival. The COP-21 Treaty brought together world leaders in ways unimagined at the previous meetings. Every nation agreed to develop and implement ways to incorporate sustainable practices in all avenues of life.
Failure to do so, after centuries of neglect, primarily by the former colonial powers threatens the ability of our world to sustain life as we know it, as well as human civilization. The urgency of our global crisis demands we apply practical, creative, sustainable practices.
Sustainable agriculture, no surprise, must become a major player in this struggle as we fan our imaginations to save an endangered planet. Mindful of the long history of rural India, sometimes her traditional practices preserve the seeds of proven and effective methods, needing only a new vision to recast them into our present world. Soil and water requirements, for instance, can either continue to devolve into problems or become transformed into new-eco agricultural venues and solutions as we evolve a second green revolution.
Managing soil properly adds, not decreases, an essential resource – Soil management stands out as a major problem for advocates and apologists for the first green revolution. Far too often, the true source of increased productivity came not from the new methods or fertilizers, but by depleting the soils we depend upon to produce food.
In addition, over application of some chemical agents have been revealed as significant threats to bee populations we depend upon to pollinate crops in our gardens and fields. Recently certain pesticides and herbicides have been shown to present threats to sustainable agriculture in any effective concentrations, even lingering in soil or in produce long after they should have broken down.
The lingering effects were privately reported within Ortho decades ago when regular physical examinations showed traces remaining in bodies of researchers many months after they should have disappeared. But, as with human bodies, we cannot move forward to affect the health of the planet without improving the condition and fertility of the soil into which we plant our seeds.
Borrowing from the soil as one would from a bank does not exempt us from repaying those loans with interest. Bankrupting the land can no longer be treated as inconsequential. India, fortunately, has the expertise in both industrial and agricultural sectors to develop methods and, as appropriate, draw upon traditional practices to transform the land and soil. The political class must listen, as well as lead. The potency of their standing in their communities and among their constituents will reflect their effectiveness as leaders.
How should we use and manage Water to meet challenges of uncertain alterations in both rainfall and potential decreases in the volume of water in the rivers flowing from the Tibetan Plateau? Some have suggested increasing the number of very small reservoirs in rural areas as often was the practice prior to the green revolution.
How we use and preserve water is the basis for agricultural success – Water is key to rural farming in areas where dry conditions push a large number of small landholders into despair across India. Neither should we expect anyone idea to become the only method for bringing and preserving precious water resources to farmers and farm families whose livelihoods depend on the adequate availability of the precious, life- sustaining liquid.
Ramesh Thakare, the renowned agronomist in Nagpur, Maharashtra, says management of water through small reservoirs can offer one part of a broader set of methods to preserve and enhance agriculture on the subcontinent. So, the responsibility for investigating ways to improve and retain sufficient quantities water to grow the food we need will no doubt come from encouraging and developing a rich dialogue among educators, political leaders, civil servants, and rural populations.
Journalists too have their role to play in this drama. They can and according to their own recognized best practices, step back, gather and report on the full range of what life has to offer, serving as vital conduits of information in the articles, audio, and video reports they make. The emphasis here is for journalists, and even more importantly their editors to value their role as communicators.
They must keep well in mind their responsibilities to enhance the flow of useful information into the conduits of the public dialogue. And, of course, those who work on the opinion and editorial side of journalism will have many opportunities to argue and debate general and specific policies.
Land reform holds renewed value during the decades we now enter Land reform has been a mantra in India and others in the so-called lesser -developed countries for over half a century. Today population pressures in India have decreased the size of parcels, causing many small landholders, particularly those living with dry- soil conditions to fail to produce enough farm produce to feed their families and have a surplus to sell into the marketplace.
Any reasonable analysis of root causes of farmer suicide, according to reports described by Dr. Thakare inevitably lead to a recognition of the correlation between the size of landholding, the availability of water, and local farming practices. While some of the suicides are further worsened by unsustainable corporate practices imposed on rural communities from outside, the larger issue of decreasing land allotments from generation to generation demands new solutions and leadership from politicians and effective administration by the civil service.
This is one area where traditional practices may not even offer suggestions. The solution will most likely lead directly to an examination of economic opportunity and more gender- balanced programs throughout India.
Economic opportunity may be the key to successful land reform in India today. Everywhere where migration from rural life into growing urban centers has taken place, nations must confront challenges of land ownership, housing, essential services, and employment whenever concentrations of human beings crowd together, into cities and mega-cities.
Patterns of increasing migration from rural to urban life will happen, are taking place today in India. The challenge? How can a new India, a global leader among nations, transform the crisis of rural flight to new urban life into new opportunities? Education certainly has significant roles to play in this portion of the national drama, leading as it does to increase opportunities.
An educated workforce drives the growth of business and raises incomes for most in urban areas. Providing opportunities sufficient to entice would be farmers away from plots too small to support them and their families will play significant roles in how India resolves the agricultural crisis for land and water issues.
And, some study and public recognition of the importance of women in agriculture must also be reported by journalists, and in studies and policies produced by the public and private sectors. No comprehensive solution to land reform in rural India will be complete without its urban compliment. Both are dependent on the broader economic opportunities developed by public and private leadership.
As with other countries, increasing efficiencies in food distribution will feed the world.
How much more food does India need today to feed its expanding population? Perhaps every mouth in the nation today can be fed with food already in the marketplace? Adequate reporting and studies should detail the truth of these assertions. Cries for increasing efficiency in food distribution from local areas to national and international markets, and lest we forget, for the poor, have been part of the dialogue for over half a century.
Given the new attention and commitments to resolving the crisis of climate change increasingly include improving the efficiency of food distribution and decreasing food waste. As with soil management, what we do with food, particularly when it comes to decreasing food waste can have significant effects on how much carbon pollution a community or nation produces. The greater the efficiency of the distribution and markets, the better it is not only for full stomachs but also for the planet.
Each of the eight aspects listed above can offer guidance for how journalists might organize coverage of how agriculture should develop in India for the twenty-first century. And, as noted, journalists do not live in a vacuum. They are only one part of the system of modern mass communications. Today, social media empower more people to contribute, sometimes distract, from the broader dialogue. Religious, political, and civic leaders, government and civil society, business people and educators all have roles to play.
Learning to facilitate the flow of information today presents new challenges to political leaders who often depended on limiting access to information to maintain power. In this century, marshaling communications resources to take advantage of the powers of mass communications will no doubt present new challenges and opportunities.
The work of developing specific- effective policies must begin immediately. In Paris, in Dec, world leaders announced the time to deploy solutions has begun. Each person has an obligation to add to those solutions if we are to sustain life and its benefits for our world.