eChapters

Introduction

In recent years, there has been an exponential increase in the volume of datasets generated across various application domains. However, a prevalent issue within these datasets is class imbalance, wherein the distribution of samples is biased towards the major class, resulting in an extremely skewed dataset. Number of samples in the major class far exceeds those in the minor class, sometimes with an extreme ratio like 1/1000 or even higher. While traditional machine learning models trained on such imbalanced datasets often yield high accuracy for the overall dataset and the major class samples, their ability to correctly predict class labels for minor class samples is signicantly compromised. In many real-world scenarios, the minor class samples hold greater signicance and importance compared to the major class samples. Therefore, researchers are increasingly focusing on addressing the challenges posed by class imbalanced datasets and exploring solutions to improve the performance of machine learning models in handling such imbalances

Abstract
Progressive agriculture represents the intersection of innovative practices and sustainable farming techniques aimed at improving productivity, environmental stewardship, and social responsibility in agriculture. As global challenges such as climate change, population growth, and resource scarcity intensify, the need for a progressive approach to agriculture becomes ever more critical. This chapter delves into the principles, practices, and benefits of progressive agriculture, tracing its evolution from traditional farming methods to modern, technology-driven approaches. The discussion covers key areas such as sustainable farming practices, precision agriculture, biotechnology, and the role of policy and education in advancing progressive agriculture. By integrating scientific advancements with ecological principles, progressive agriculture seeks to create resilient agricultural systems capable of sustaining future generations.
Keywords: Progressive agriculture, sustainable farming, precision agriculture, biotechnology, climate change, food security, agricultural innovation, environmental stewardship, policy in agriculture, agricultural
education.

Project for Rural People on Chicken

For rural people Desi (indigenous) chicken plays an important role. Family poultry farming is a part and parcel of a typical rural household in India touching social, cultural and economic aspects. People residing in rural areas primarily maintain their indigenous chicken under backyard farming. With the same management system the rural people can rear improved varieties of chicken instead of their traditional counterpart. The improved varieties being Giriraja, Vanaraja, Kuroiler, Gramapriya, Gramalaxmi, Swarnadhara, Krishna J etc. A model project on improved chicken is given herewith:

A unit consisting of 100 number Vanaraja or Giriraja is economical and remunerative to the farmers whose family labour will be utilized for rearing these chickens. Initially, the farmer will buy about 225 straight-run day- old chicks. The males will be sold at 20 weeks of age. The females will be maintained for 1.5 years. In order to have continuous operation, next batch of 225 chicks have to be procured 6 months before disposal of the old batch. Birds will collect their feed through foraging or scavenging in the field. Supplementary feeding will be provided to meet their requirements.

Introduction A functional food is a food that provides alimentative beyond their actual nutritional value & are claimed to have an extra function by the addition of new ingredients or more of already present ingredients into it. Functional food have also become a part of our everyday daily diet & are told to offer potential various health benefits other than the widely accepted nutritional effects among them. (Roberfroid MB 2009). Many bioactive active compounds are contained by them like roughage, OS, vitamins, inorganic elements, & bacterium probiotic, having scented whiff, relish & fineness, which sustain the balance & balance of the enteric system. Functional may also be said as artificer‘s foods, NC, restorative foods, curative food, & super food etc because of the roles & functions they perform. (Wlodzimierz Grajek et al., 2008). There are many utilitarian sequels of functional food & beverages with added bug & probiotics on the health of humans which are increasingly promoted & recommended by the nutritionists & other we-being professionals. (Aditya Chaudhary 2019). For a time being, the most salient & over & over again used functional foods amalgam are probiotics & probiotics, or they altogether called as symbiotic‘. he dwell Microbes or foods microbes, which are beneficial for human, are probiotics. (Armachius James &Yousheng Wang 2019).

Productivity growth in agriculture is anticipated to drive successful structural transformation and industrialization in pre-industrial developing countries that possess untapped agricultural potential. Historical precedent shows that agricultural revolutions often precede industrial revolutions in countries with predominantly rural populations. Recent industrialization experiences in countries like China, India, and Brazil reinforce this perspective. Achieving productivity growth in agriculture necessitates the availability and adoption of technological innovations within the farming community. In recent years, attention has increasingly focused on understanding the delay between the emergence of promising innovations and their adoption.

Numerous factors contribute to the lack of technology adoption, including credit constraints, limited insurance coverage, high transaction costs, and behavioral biases. Moreover, the availability of information about new technologies is a critical, albeit not sufficient, condition for adoption. Consequently, addressing potential information failures that hinder farmers' adoption of available technologies is essential. This underscores the importance of extension services, as well as the transfer of information through social networks, agro dealers, and commercial partners in the agricultural value chain.

Introduction
The discovery and widespread use of antibiotics in the mid-20th century marked a transformative era in modern medicine, enabling life-saving interventions in surgery, transplantation, and critical care. Diseases once considered fatal became manageable, and the global burden of infectious diseases significantly declined. However, the remarkable success of antibiotics has been increasingly overshadowed by the rapid rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), now recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the most serious threats to global health, food security, and sustainable development. Resistant infections already contribute to longer hospital stays, increased healthcare costs, and elevated mortality rates. Alarmingly, if current trends continue, AMR-related deaths are projected to exceed those caused by cancer by 2050.A pivotal yet often underestimated factor in the persistence and spread of AMR is the formation of microbial biofilms. Biofilms are highly organized, surface-attached communities of microorganisms embedded in a self-produced extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) composed of proteins, polysaccharides, lipids, and nucleic acids. This matrix not only anchors microbial population but also confers protection against environmental stressors, immune responses, and antimicrobial agents. Bacteria within biofilms can withstand antibiotic concentrations up to 1000 times higher than their planktonic counterparts due to altered metabolic states, enhanced horizontal gene transfer, and activation of resistance mechanisms such as efflux pumps. Biofilms are implicated in over 80% chronic and device-associated infections, including those caused by ESKAPE pathogensAcinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus. These infections are notoriously difficult to treat and often recur, posing significant clinical challenges. Beyond healthcare settings, biofilm formation in livestock and agricultural environmentsexacerbated using antibiotics as growth promoterscontributes to the emergence of resistant strains that can spread to humans via direct contact, environmental contamination, or the food chain.Understanding the multifaceted resistance mechanisms within biofilms is essential for developing effective containment strategies. These include physical exclusion of antibiotics by the EPS matrix, metabolic dormancy, persister cell formation, quorum sensing-mediated coordination, and stress response activation. Moreover, biofilms often consist of multispecies communities, where interspecies interactions further enhance resilience.In response, antibiofilm agents have emerged as a promising frontier in AMR containment. These include natural compounds (e.g., antimicrobial peptides, essential oils), engineered materials (e.g., nanoparticles, surface coatings), quorum sensing inhibitors, efflux pump blockers, and enzymatic disruptors such as dispersin B and DNases. Ecological approaches like probiotics and positive biofilms offer preventive strategies in agriculture and food systems. Importantly, these agents aim to complement antibiotics by enhancing their efficacy rather than replacing them.Despite challenges in scalability, safety, and regulatory approval, antibiofilm strategies represent a paradigm shift in infection control. Their integration into clinical, veterinary, and environmental practicesaligned with the One Health frameworkis essential for preserving antibiotic effectiveness and mitigating the global AMR crisis.

A research methodology is a means to describe how a researcher plans to conduct their research. It is a rational, methodological approach to solve a research issue. A methodology explains how a researcher will conduct the study in order to produce accurate, legitimate, data that meets their goals and objective. It includes the data they will get, where they will get it from, how they will gather it, and how they will analyse it. The methodology has been thought through in order to comprehend the idea, processes, and procedures that are applied to design the study, information gathering, data analysis, and finding interpretation for the discovery of truths and creation of hypothesis. This chapter, which covers the study’s methodology and methods is divided into eight key sections:
• Research location
• Pilot study
• Sampling design
• Empirical measurement of the independent and dependent
• Preparation of interview schedule
• Pre-resting of interview schedule
• Data collection methods
• Tools for analyzing data using statistics

Introduction

Individual bits or “bytes” of “raw” biological data (e.g. the number of individual plants of a given species at a given location) do not by themselves inform the human mind. However, drawing various data together within an appropriate context yields information that may be useful (e.g. the distribution and abundance of the plant species at various points in space and time). In turn, this information helps foster the quality of knowing (e.g. whether the plant species is increasing or decreasing in distribution and abundance over space and time). Knowledge and experience blend to become wisdom—the power of applying these attributes critically or practically to make decisions. This quotation is from the Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre, a non-profit organization established in 1999.Thus, we are led to think about Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom as we explore the capabilities and limitations of IT systems.

Introduction

E-publishing and information accessing have become easy and convenient mainly because of Internet and the World Wide Web technologies. Most digital libraries were developed in the past by taking up projects based on specific disciplines and then developed into full-fledged digital libraries. The inter-networking communication links, low cost storage solutions, powerful desktops, workstations, servers and multimedia hardware and software technologies are now available for initiating the Digital Library projects in India. Development in ICT (Information Communication technology) have brought about the merger of the computing, information, Communication, entertainment, mass media industries thereby providing a means of exchanging information in the digital format used by computers.

Indian floriculture industry is shifting from traditional flowers to cut flowers for export purpose. The liberalized economy has given an impetus to Indian entrepreneurs for establishing export oriented units (EOUs) under controlled climatic conditions.

The wide variation in the agro climatic conditions in India permit us to grow various types of tropical and subtropical plants and flowers. Though such plants grow successfully without cover, they fail to meet the export requirements of being seldom blemish free. High quality ornamental plants meant for export should be scientifically grown only in plastic, glass or fiberglass greenhouses, or at least under partial cover. Though initial investment is high in protected cultivation, the products in them will obtain far more attractive prices.

1.Which one is the example of abiotic stress?

a.Drought

b.Salinity

c.Flood

d.All of these

2.Which one is the example of osmoticum?

a.NaCl

b.PEG

c.H₂O

Role of Agriculture in Livelihood Systems

For the developing countries like India, where a majority of families, in both the farm and non-farm sectors, derive their livelihoods from agriculture, sustainability of agriculture cannot be discussed or even defined in isolation of the issue of livelihoods. Livelihood is defined as adequate stock and flow of food and cash with an individual or a family to meet its basic needs. Livelihood security then means secured ownership of, or access to, resources and income-earning activities, including reserves and assets to offset risks, ease shocks and meet contingencies. There are four principal ways of acquiring livelihoods by the rural households. First is the production-based livelihood. A large proportion of the small and marginal farmers gain livelihoods through production on small pieces of land. For these households, availability or access to inputs and improved methods of production are quite critical for their livelihoods. Second is the labour-based livelihood. Most of the small landholders and landless rural households derive livelihoods by selling their labour. For their livelihoods, demand for labour, wage rates and prices of food are the critical factors. Third is the exchange- or market- based livelihood. Those rural households which produce surplus food and non-food agricultural products or non-farm goods earn their livelihoods by selling these surpluses in the market. The marketing system for these products and relative prices of what they sell and what they buy, affect their livelihoods. The fourth set of livelihoods is transfer-based entitlements. The households without any income-earning asset or able-bodied person to work depend for their livelihoods on transfers from the government or other social organizations. Government’s social security and food assistance programmes are relevant for this group of rural households in fulfilling their livelihood requirements. The rural livelihood systems in the developing countries thus encompass a broad range of factors and depend on several macro sub- systems of the economy.

Pollination is one of the most essential ecosystem services which is effectual for crop productivity, biodiversity and human livelihood. Pollination is the process of transferring pollens from anther to stigma for plant reproduction and has direct impact on crop productivity. Conservation and management of pollinators is still ignored in the agriculture development program by the policy makers. In agricultural ecosystem, many agricultural crops are dependent on insects for their pollination, and assisted pollination may have to be done when natural pollination is insufficient in order to reduce potential yield loss (Klein et al., 2007). About 80% of the world’s flowering plant species are dedicated to animal pollination, mostly by insects (FAO, 2007). In 2005, globally, pollinators’ pollination services economic value was estimated to be about €153 billion (Gallai et al., 2009). The United Nations also reported that the economics of ecosystems and biodiversity by insect pollination was valued at £134 billion.

Introduction

Climate change is threatening food security globally. Countries like India are more vulnerable in view of the tropical monsoon climate and poor coping capacity of the small and marginal farmers. Several agricultural practices like indiscriminate use of agro-chemicals and crop residue burning contribute to emission of greenhouse gasses leading to warming of the atmosphere. Sequestration of carbon both in the vegetation and soil is the most effective means of mitigating GHG emissions. There are several strategies of soil carbon sequestration which can be adopted at farm level. These include: conservation agriculture, biomass recycling, crop rotations and use of organic amendments. One of the recent developments is the conversion of crop residue biomass into biochar and using the char as a soil amendment rather than directly using the crop residues. Several studies show that biochar has a long life in soil and is more effective in sequestering carbon besides improving other soil properties like water holding capacity and nutrient availability. In Indian conditions, there is an immense scope for converting millions of tonnes of crop residues which are not used as fodder into biochar and use the same for enriching soil carbon.

INTRODUCTION

Generation of solid wastes has a universal problem which are facing by most of the countries in present scenario. These wastes are generated due to several human accomplishments as well as natural disaster. It is estimated that in India nearly 700 million tons of organic wastes is generated annually included leaves, husk, sawdust, steam bark, flowers etc. Vermicomposting is a simple biotechnological process of composting, in which certain species of earthworms are used to enhance the process of waste conversion and produce a better end product. Vermicompost is nutritionally rich natural organic fertilizer, which releases nutrients relatively slowly in the soil and improves quality of the plants along with physical and biological properties of soil. It has a more beneficial impact on plants than soil.

During vermicomposting, earthworms eat and grind substrates, convening with anaerobic micro flora to increase the surface area for microbial colonization and enzymatic action. Screening of locally available earthworm species and their suitability for vermicomposting during summer and winter seasons is very much required for effective recycling of available bio-waste for production of quality organic manure – vermicompost. Earthworm’s vermicompost is proving to be highly nutritive ‘organic fertilizer’ and more powerful ‘growth promoter’ over the conventional composts and a ‘protective’ farm input (increasing the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil, restoring and improving its natural fertility) against the ‘destructive’ chemical fertilizers which has destroyed the soil properties and decreased its natural fertility over the years.

Vermicompost is rich in NKP (nitrogen 2-3%, potassium 1.85-2.25% and phosphorus 1.55-2.25%), micronutrients, beneficial soil microbes and also contain ‘plant growth hormones and enzymes’. It is scientifically proving as ‘miracle growth promoter and also plant protector’ from pests and diseases. Vermicompost retains nutrients for long time but the conventional compost fails to deliver the required amount of macro and micronutrients including the vital NKP to plants.

Introduction
World population is increasing and currently stands at 8.2 Billion as on 2025. Food security of population of any country is becoming a challenging task and the entire population depends on the available national resources. The importance of scientific community in securing foods for everybody was felt necessary and it was expressed that there is a huge herculean task to ensure food for everybody. Farming community and fruit growers across the globe were engaged in serious efforts to produce fruits of good quality. The necessity to develop advanced technologies for nutritious foods was thus given national importance not only for food security but also of nutritional security. The sincere scientific efforts to develop recent innovative technologies to support fruit production even at harsh soils and environmental conditions are praiseworthy. Farmers, stakeholders, policy planners and technology developers have been devoted to achieve the target of Sustainable Developmental Goals. The target of United Nation’s 2030 to eradicate poverty and eradication of malnutrition should be achieved sustainably. People across nations are working devotedly to achieve the target. However, climatic changes have been significantlyaffecting the food production to food security across nations. Decadal information suggested the adverse impact of climates on the fruit production. Recent changes in weather extremisms had also affect harshly on the food production to supply chain. Thus, the role of scientific community to coup up the environmental hazards and to sustain fruit production becomes a reality. In this context, agroadvisory services plays significant role to support farming community and fruit growers to adopt time bound managemental practices. The ultimate aim of these services is to improve the orchard soil and tree health condition, enhance factor productivity vis-à-vis profitability and precise use of available natural resources. Quantification of variability in environmental indicators, soil and tree interactions were felt necessary for formulating effective policy plan (Malhotra, 2017). Adak et al. (2022) advocated for foliage spraying of 1 per cent zinc sulphate on mango cv. Dashehari to enhance yield and nutrient richness in fruit pulp.

Sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas under the family Convolvulaceae (Chromosome No. 2n = 6x = 90) is an important tuber crop grown mostly in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Latin America, the Pacific islands, Papua New Guinea and Africa. India and China are the leading sweet potato growing countries in the world. In India, it is largely grown in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Its large, swollen, starchy, sweet-tasting, adventitious roots are used as tuberous vegetable. Orange-fleshed sweet potato, in particular, with high β carotene content has become a prominent example of the effectiveness of biofortified staple crops to combat vitamin A deficiency. Sweet potatoes are rich in dietary fibers and are also known for improving gut health and digestion. It also contains a high amount of phytosterol that has a protective effect on the digestive system. Sometimes, tender leaves and shoots are consumed as a green leafy vegetable. Sweet potato tubers are used in agro-industry for the preparation of starch, alcohol and animal feed.
Origin, domestication and adaptation in India
Sweet potato has probably been originated between the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico and the mouth of the Orinoco River in Venezuela.

Introduction
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a major worldwide health issue, requiring the search for natural, safe, and efficient substitutes for synthetic antibiotics. The ancient medical system known as Ayurveda lists a variety of polyherbal compositions having jwaraghna (antipyretic) and krimighna (antimicrobial) qualities. A traditional decoction preparation that is frequently prescribed for microbial infestations (krimi), wound infections, fevers, and skin conditions called Nimbadi Kwatha.Strong herbs that have been separately shown to have antibacterial and immunomodulatory properties, including Nimba (Azadirachta indica), Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia), Triphala (Haritaki, Bibhitaki, Amalaki), Vasa (Adhatoda vasica), and Katuki (Picrorhiza kurroa), make up Nimbadi Kwatha. Triphala has antimicrobial and antioxidant qualities, Guduchi boosts host immunity and has antibacterial qualities, and Neem provides broad-spectrum antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral activity. According to experimental studies, giloy extracts are effective against a variety of pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi. It has a distinct antimicrobial activity that involves two mechanisms: it enhances phagocytosis, changes cytokine production, and activates macrophages. In light of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), T. cordifolia is a prospective option for the development of plant-based antimicrobials and integrated therapies. Its use is backed by both modern pharmacological research and ethnomedicinal history for infectious disorders and immune health. Nimbadi Kwatha and its derivatives, including Nimbadi Ubatan and soap formulations, have been shown to have antibacterial properties by modern pharmacological research, which also showed a notable inhibition of bacterial and fungal growth in vitro. These results demonstrate the value of Ayurveda in treating infectious diseases and lend credence to its traditional claims. To close the gap between traditional knowledge and contemporary evidence, a thorough analysis of Nimbadi Kwatha’s antibacterial impact is essential. It also identifies the plant’s potential as a natural remedy for drug-resistant infections.

Seed is a vital input for successful flower production and it is considered as the starting material for most bedding plants and many of the cut flowers produced. The production of bedding plants and cut flowers is both capital and labour intensive. In order to optimize production efficiency and maximize profit, it is important for growers to use high quality seeds. Production of seeds of annual flowers has immense scope as an area of diversification in floribusiness. The flower seed industry is international, operating in many countries of the world. Large quantities of flower seeds are required both by developed and developing countries for adding to the beauty of private and large gardens and also for cut flower production. Worldwide, nurseries engaged in production of seeds of seasonal flowers have a booming business. The great diversity of flower seed crops is a fascinating facet of the world seed industry and they are of high value and low volume in contrast to the high volume and low value seeds of cereal seed crops.

Introduction

Since 1990, there has been a lot of interest in functional foods and nutraceuticals, particularly because of their impact effects on human health and the prevention of certain diseases. Apart from growing good quality natural products, there are challenges in extracting, refining, analyzing active ingredients, and evaluating safety before an effective, reliable product is made [1,2]. Special attention needs to be focused on separation and purification mainly because 40-80% of the cost of production is assigned to separation and purification unit operations in making functional foods and nutraceuticals. There are also several carotenoids and polyphenol products that have been identified from various plants and a single plant could contain highly complex profiles of these compounds. These are labile to heat, air, and light, and they may exist at low concentrations in the plants. This makes the separation and detection of nutraceuticals a challenging task. The membrane techniques used for the separation of nutraceuticals from the natural products, as well as their applications and influencing factors are discussed in this chapter [3, 4].