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Preface
The population of the country crosses 1.38 billion in 2025 A.D., the country will have to import about 60 million tons of food-grains annually. The annual demand for food will have increased to 325 million tons/year, while the production might remain stagnant at 250 million tons/year. Hence, it will mark the worst period in economic crisis, when the people might have to move around with begging bowls to ensure food supply for their survival due to shortage of food-grains. In a resource poor country, the country are not only dependent on food but also other essential commodities, such as oil natural gas, basic ingredients for fertilizers, heavy engineering materials, nuclear power and computer technologies, there will hardly be anything left in the country to export and settle the import bills. Presently about 50% of the petroleum consumed in the country is imported and by 2035 A.D., the country would likely to exhaust the oil reserves as well. Coal is the major source of fossil fuel, which can last for some more period, but as the quality is poor, there will hardly be any takers. The opportunity for exporting other minerals is also insignificant. Thus without earning any foreign exchange, how the country come forward to import food-grains to feed the population? The immediate need is to address the problem faced by the year 2010, when the population will have reached 1150 million and the annual demand for food will have reached 240 million tons. To cope with the increasing demand, it was imperative to enhance the agricultural production by 20%, from the present level of 198 million tons of food-grains. Under normal circumstances, a target to maintain 2% growth can solve the problem. This should not be difficult as we have recorded a higher average annual growth of 2.37% during the last decade. However the strategy adopted in early 70’s to boost food production has been well-exploited so far and the productivity has now reached the level of saturation. So was needed to look into various factors affecting the crop production and modify crop production strategy to address these problems, while making optimum use of the available resources and technologies to reach the new target. Looking to the prevalent farming practices in India and the scope for coping with advances in agricultural development in other parts of the world, there is good scope for improvement. There is also a wide gap between the elite and backward farmers within the country. The task of achieving sufficiency in food production, involving small farmers, is well within the reach. The Agricultural Extension Department should reset its role as a facilitator to coordinate with various departments to ensure better service to small farmers and to reduce the communication gap presently existing between the agencies concerned with sustainable development and farmers.
Sustainable agriculture systems are designed to use existing soil nutrient and water cycles, naturally occurring energy flows for food production. As well, such systems aim to produce food that is both nutritious and without products that might harm human health. In practice, such systems have tended to avoid the use of synthetically compounded fertilizers, pesticides, growth regulators, and livestock feed additives, instead relying upon crop rotations, crop residues, animal manures, legumes, green manures, off-farm organic wastes, appropriate mechanical cultivation, and mineral bearing rocks to maintain soil fertility and productivity. The need of sustainable agriculture owes its origin to the philosophy of ‘holism’, which enunciates that all things are connected and their interactions in nature are complex. Stimulus to one component creates response to that as well as the system as a whole also responds. Appreciation of the theory of holism is very much embedded in our sayings and scriptures. An ancient Tamil proverb goes as follows, “‘No fodder, no cattle; no cattle, no manure: no manure, no crop”. Translation of a Sanskrit text from about 1500 BC reads as “Upon this handful of soil our survival depends.
Husband it and if will grow our food, our fuel and our shelter and surround us with bounty. Abuse it and (he soil will collapse and die. taking man with if”. Deep in the heart of these primeval quotes lays the concern on the health of the very basic elements that contribute to the sustenance of complete chain involving production to consumption. For instance, if the vitality of natural resources is impaired because of neglect or misuse, agricultural sustainability and environmental quality and the linkage among these in the quest for human survival becomes at stake. In this context, the property development is outlined to satisfy the demands that want of this requirement while not compromising the flexibility of future generations meeting their own needs. It contains at intervals it 2 key concepts:
The conception of ‘needs’, specifically the essential wants of the world’s poor, to whom paramount priority ought to be given; and therefore the plan of limitations obligatory by the state of technology and system are on the environment’s ability to satisfy gift and future wants. Sustainable agriculture follows the farming in the principles of ecology, the study of relationships between organisms and their environment; refers to agricultural production which maintained while not harming the environment; not solely will it address several environmental and social issues, however it: offers innovative and economically viable opportunities for (i) growers (ii) labourers (iii) customers and policy-makers; Using cover crops, inexperienced manures, animal manures, crop rotations to fertilize the soil: Using of biological management, crop rotations to manage weeds, insects and wellness emphasizing on multifariousness of agricultural system and close area; Using of grazing and mixed forage pastures for farm animal operations and different health take care of animal well-being; Reducing the external and off farm inputs and elimination of artificial pesticides and fertilizers and alternative material like hormones and antibiotics; and focusing on renewable resources, soil and conservation, and management practices that sustainable agriculture can restore, maintain and enhance ecological balance.
Preface
The population of the country crosses 1.38 billion in 2025 A.D., the country will have to import about 60 million tons of food-grains annually. The annual demand for food will have increased to 325 million tons/year, while the production might remain stagnant at 250 million tons/year. Hence, it will mark the worst period in economic crisis, when the people might have to move around with begging bowls to ensure food supply for their survival due to shortage of food-grains. In a resource poor country, the country are not only dependent on food but also other essential commodities, such as oil natural gas, basic ingredients for fertilizers, heavy engineering materials, nuclear power and computer technologies, there will hardly be anything left in the country to export and settle the import bills. Presently about 50% of the petroleum consumed in the country is imported and by 2035 A.D., the country would likely to exhaust the oil reserves as well. Coal is the major source of fossil fuel, which can last for some more period, but as the quality is poor, there will hardly be any takers. The opportunity for exporting other minerals is also insignificant. Thus without earning any foreign exchange, how the country come forward to import food-grains to feed the population? The immediate need is to address the problem faced by the year 2010, when the population will have reached 1150 million and the annual demand for food will have reached 240 million tons. To cope with the increasing demand, it was imperative to enhance the agricultural production by 20%, from the present level of 198 million tons of food-grains. Under normal circumstances, a target to maintain 2% growth can solve the problem. This should not be difficult as we have recorded a higher average annual growth of 2.37% during the last decade. However the strategy adopted in early 70’s to boost food production has been well-exploited so far and the productivity has now reached the level of saturation. So was needed to look into various factors affecting the crop production and modify crop production strategy to address these problems, while making optimum use of the available resources and technologies to reach the new target. Looking to the prevalent farming practices in India and the scope for coping with advances in agricultural development in other parts of the world, there is good scope for improvement. There is also a wide gap between the elite and backward farmers within the country. The task of achieving sufficiency in food production, involving small farmers, is well within the reach. The Agricultural Extension Department should reset its role as a facilitator to coordinate with various departments to ensure better service to small farmers and to reduce the communication gap presently existing between the agencies concerned with sustainable development and farmers.
Sustainable agriculture systems are designed to use existing soil nutrient and water cycles, naturally occurring energy flows for food production. As well, such systems aim to produce food that is both nutritious and without products that might harm human health. In practice, such systems have tended to avoid the use of synthetically compounded fertilizers, pesticides, growth regulators, and livestock feed additives, instead relying upon crop rotations, crop residues, animal manures, legumes, green manures, off-farm organic wastes, appropriate mechanical cultivation, and mineral bearing rocks to maintain soil fertility and productivity. The need of sustainable agriculture owes its origin to the philosophy of ‘holism’, which enunciates that all things are connected and their interactions in nature are complex. Stimulus to one component creates response to that as well as the system as a whole also responds. Appreciation of the theory of holism is very much embedded in our sayings and scriptures. An ancient Tamil proverb goes as follows, “‘No fodder, no cattle; no cattle, no manure: no manure, no crop”. Translation of a Sanskrit text from about 1500 BC reads as “Upon this handful of soil our survival depends.
Husband it and if will grow our food, our fuel and our shelter and surround us with bounty. Abuse it and (he soil will collapse and die. taking man with if”. Deep in the heart of these primeval quotes lays the concern on the health of the very basic elements that contribute to the sustenance of complete chain involving production to consumption. For instance, if the vitality of natural resources is impaired because of neglect or misuse, agricultural sustainability and environmental quality and the linkage among these in the quest for human survival becomes at stake. In this context, the property development is outlined to satisfy the demands that want of this requirement while not compromising the flexibility of future generations meeting their own needs. It contains at intervals it 2 key concepts:
The conception of ‘needs’, specifically the essential wants of the world’s poor, to whom paramount priority ought to be given; and therefore the plan of limitations obligatory by the state of technology and system are on the environment’s ability to satisfy gift and future wants. Sustainable agriculture follows the farming in the principles of ecology, the study of relationships between organisms and their environment; refers to agricultural production which maintained while not harming the environment; not solely will it address several environmental and social issues, however it: offers innovative and economically viable opportunities for (i) growers (ii) labourers (iii) customers and policy-makers; Using cover crops, inexperienced manures, animal manures, crop rotations to fertilize the soil: Using of biological management, crop rotations to manage weeds, insects and wellness emphasizing on multifariousness of agricultural system and close area; Using of grazing and mixed forage pastures for farm animal operations and different health take care of animal well-being; Reducing the external and off farm inputs and elimination of artificial pesticides and fertilizers and alternative material like hormones and antibiotics; and focusing on renewable resources, soil and conservation, and management practices that sustainable agriculture can restore, maintain and enhance ecological balance.