eChapters

Introduction

Agribusiness refers to the industry that deals with farming and the selling of agricultural products, including the cultivation of crops, their processing, and their distribution to retailers. Producing and distributing crops, agrichemicals, fodder, breeding, farm equipment, seed supply, raw and processed commodities of food and fibre, warehousing, transporting, packing, marketing, retailing, soil testing, and testing for nutrient deficiencies are all part of the agribusiness industry.

It's important for an excellent brand name to provide a solid basis on which a company can grow. Companies need to identify who they are trying to sell to. Will people have no trouble pronouncing it? The tongue shouldn't have to work too hard to say it. Can you pronounce the name easily? Your brand name needs to be audible to consumers. Have you tested the name's spelling ability?

Choosing what aspect of agriculture or agribusiness you want to enter is the f irst step. So, you can't make a call like this until you have a firm grasp on your company's long-term goals, operational strategy, and financial situation. You can still enter the market if you aren't an expert in the equipment, products, grains, soil, seeds, or plants involved; nevertheless, you should go in with your eyes wide open, a well-thought-out business plan, and a competent team.

8.1 Key legal statutes and regulatory foundations
Various policy measures were also undertaken by the Government of India in due course of time. The Government of India enacted four science policies after gaining independence, i.e. Scientific Policy Resolution (1958), Technology Policy Statement (1983), Science and Technology Policy (2003) and Science Technology and Innovation Policy (2013). The 1983 Technology Policy Statement possessed a simple goal of creating indigenous technology and boosting efficient absorption and adaptation of imported technologies suited to the nation’s priorities and. The Technology Policy Statement of 1983 was followed up through the establishment of the Technology Information Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC), an autonomous organization entirely owned by the Government of India under the Department of Science and Technology during 1988. TIFAC also offers some funding and supports development and commercialization of technologies through the home-grown technology scheme, among its other operations. The Technology Development Board Act (1995) was also a significant policy move of the government in the same direction. Also in recent times, the Government of India also unveiled its own National IPR Policy 2016 with the motto cum slogan “Creative India, Innovative India”. In addition, the policy is aligned to a number of other schemes of the Indian Government like “Make in India”, “Atal Innovation Mission”, “Start-Up India” and “Stand-Up India”, all aimed at encouraging creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship in the nation.

Introduction

Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are the organizations engaged in particular plethora of activities aimed at protecting and promoting the varied interests of the people. As the name suggests, NGOs are the state independent voluntary groups working towards various social causes – ‘Charitable Purposes’. Section 2 (15) of the Income Tax Act 1961 explains charitable purpose as those activities aimed at the relief of the poor, education, yoga, medical relief, preservation of environment including the watersheds, wild life forests and preservation of monuments or places or objects of artistic or historic interest and the advancement of any other object of general public utility. These ‘Not–for Profit’ organizations differ from other business as the main aim of such ventures is charity not generating profits. These NGOs are prohibited from distributing the income generated from their working among its members. There is no single consolidated act dealing with the formation and registration of NGOs. This is because an NGO is an umbrella term for all the charitable ventures. An NGO, in itself, can have various structures. These can be registered as societies, trusts and as private limited. Non-profit companies commonly referred to as section 8 companies therefore an NGO can be registered under any of the three acts i.e., Company Act (2013), Societies Registration Act (1860) and Indian Trust Act (1862).

Rivers are vital ecological corridors that sustain biodiversity, regulate the water cycle and underpin human civilization by providing water, food, transportation and energy. In India, river ecosystems face mounting threats from pollution, over-extraction, habitat degradation and climate change, necessitating a robust constitutional, legal and policy framework for their protection and sustainable management. The Indian Constitution, through Articles 48A and 51A (g), alongside judicial interpretations of Article 21, has elevated environmental protection (including river conservation) to a fundamental right, reinforced by landmark Supreme Court judgments that embed principles such as polluter pays and the precautionary approach. Key national policies, including the National Water Policy, National River Conservation Plan, and flagship initiatives like Namami Gange, emphasize integrated river basin management, participatory governance, and community engagement. Despite these advances, challenges persist due to fragmented institutional arrangements, enforcement gaps, persistent pollution and the impacts of climate change. Future directions call for legislative reforms, empowered river basin authorities, technological innovations and greater public participation to ensure the ecological integrity and long-term sustainability of India’s rivers for present and future generations.

The National Food Security Bill 2011, which is now on the website of the Union Ministry of Food and Consumer Affairs for public comments, aims to make the Right to Food a legal right. During the last seven years, the country has witnessed a transition from political patronage to legal entitlements in the case of education, information, work and land rights in tribal areas. When finally enacted, the Food Security Bill will be the brightest jewel in the crown of Indian democracy. Therefore, public scrutiny of the draft Bill is important. The draft Bill mentions that its aim is “to provide for food and nutritional security in human life-cycle approach by ensuring access to adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices, for people to live a life with dignity”. Unfortunately the Bill is its present form will not be able to fulfill this inspiring objective.

The legal commitment contained in the Bill implies that every child, woman and man should have physical and economic access to balanced diet on the basis of a life-cycle approach, i.e., from conception to cremation. Nutrition security involves access not only to the needed calories and protein, but also to micro-nutrients like iron, iodine, zinc, vitamin A, and vitamin B12. In addition, clean drinking water, sanitation and primary health care are essential for ensuring that food is properly assimilated in the body.

Introduction

Export of quality seafood products is important to have a success in international marketing. Exporters must be quality conscious and the Governments must insist on quality control and inspection. The seafood export industry in India is over 50 years old. Seafood contributes 10% of the total exports and nearly 20% of all agricultural exports. In the year 2022-23, India exported 17,35,286 MT seafood to more than 100 countries worth US $8.09 billion equivalent to Rs. 63,969.14 crore. There are over 150 fish processing facilities approved by the European Union out of the existing 350 processing facilities. The Export Inspection Council and the Marine Products Export Development Authority are working very closely with the fish processing industries for the growth of seafood exports.

The Government of India enacted the Export (Quality Control and Inspection) Act, 1963 for the development of export trade through quality control and inspection. It empowers the Government to notify the products intended for compulsory quality control and inspection prior to their export. It specifies the type of quality control required for the notified products. It recognizes standard specifications for a notified product. It prohibits the export of notified products that are not complying with export conditions. It creates a machinery for quality control and take measures to protect markets for Indian commodities. As the first step, Export Inspection Council (the Council) was established on 1st January 1964 for implementation of various provisions of the Export (Quality Control & Inspection) Act, 1963.

Introduction

This led to an extended debate and international co-operation in the recognition of plant-related intellectual property rights, resulting in a greater attention being paid to questions of ownership of genetic resources. At the same time concerns for sustainable use of biological diversity were also raised.

One of the major events was the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) which came into force in 1993, which was adopted during the Rio Earth Summit of the United Nations. It was the first legally binding institutional mechanism, providing for conservation and sustainable use of all biological diversity and intends to establish the process of the equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of biodiversity.

The Convention on Biological Diversity

The CBD was conceived in the 1980s and was negotiated under the leadership of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It was adapted in June 1992 at Rio de Janeiro, at the Earth Summit, and is effective since December 1993.

4.1. Introduction

Presently, in the world, there are 195 countries according to the United Nations, and the number would even go up to 247 if we consider the disputed territories like Isle of Man, Hong Kong, etc. (United Nations, 2016) (Kershner, 2020). But the majority of the countries are still struggling to provide basic life-supporting amenities like nutrition, shelter, and employment. Conjointly, termed as emerging and developing countries such as India, Vietnam, Venezuela, Utopia, etc. (Ahmed and Shimada, 2019). Most of the developing countries are situated mainly in the continent of Africa, Asia and South America. They have got independence for the European countries like England, France, Portugal and Spain in the mid and late 20th century. 

Food security, nutritional security, sustainability and profitability are the main foci ofpresent agricultural scenario in India. In the absence of additional land for bringing under plough vertical growth in agriculture through intensive cropping and enhanced productivity becomes inevitable. Intensification of agriculture to meet the growing needs of the burgeoning population has brought with it numerous productivity related constraints. It has triggered multiple nutrient deficiencies in soil and this has raised doubts on the soils capacity to sustain anticipated production levels. One of the key inputs in enhancing and maintaining the productivity ofintensified agricultural systems is chemical fertilizer which provides nutrients in readily available form. But long term experiments on various cropping systems at various agroecological regions and soil types revealed that continuous use of chemical fertilizers in unbalanced and indiscriminate manner deteriorates the soil health and leads to deleterious effect on long term soil fertility and yield sustainability. Apart from the soil productivity issue, the use of chemical fertilizer is also becoming more and more costly due to scarcity during peak demand. The excessive use of chemical fertilizers is not only costly but they pollute the production environment (Singh et al., 2005; Dwivedi et al., 2003).

In the coming decades, a major issue in designing sustainable agriculture system will be the management and rational use of organic inputs such as animal manure, green manure, crop residues and biofertilizers etc. (Powlson, 1994). Long term studies indicated that current fertilizer recommendations are inadequate for maintaining yields (Bhandari et al., 2000; Singh and Mishra, 2010; Tiwari et al., 2006). It is, therefore, to sustain high crop yield without deterioration of soil fertility it is important to apply required amount of plant nutrients through fertilizers in combination with organic sources, crop residues, biofertilizers etc.

Introduction

Embarking on the journey of legume cultivation in India reveals a nuanced landscape marked by both challenges and promising horizons. The agricultural scenario is akin to orchestrating a symphony, where legumes play a vital role, contributing melodies of resilience and significance. Unveiling this leguminous symphony in India is an exploration into the intricate interplay of obstacles and potential triumphs within the agricultural sector. As we delve into an overview of legumes, commonly known as pulse crops, their significance in Indian agriculture becomes apparent. Belonging to the Fabaceae family, these plants possess a distinctive feature - the ability to harness nitrogen from the atmosphere. This unique characteristic renders them pivotal components in sustainable agricultural systems, impacting not only food and nutritional security but also influencing the broader scope of soil fertility enhancement and economic prosperity. The journey through legume cultivation in India unfolds as a harmonious narrative, weaving together the challenges faced and the promising prospects that lie ahead in this agricultural symphony (Sow and Ranjan, 2021).

Among thirty major cropping systems in the country, which contribute significantly to the national food basket, the majority are cereal-based. In fact, continuous cropping of cereal-based systems during last three decades has resulted in second generation problems and the sustainability of these systems is under threat. The major challenge is to produce more from each unit of land on the one hand and to sustain soil health on the other. The depletion of soil fertility by the intensive cereal-cereal production systems is considered to be a major cause of the yield decline. For example, a rice-wheat cropping system (RWCS) yielding 7 t/ha of paddy and 4 t/ha of wheat removes 315 kg nitrogen (N)/ ha, 28 kg phosphorus (P)/ ha and 333 kg potassium (K)/ ha, and significant amounts of micro-nutrients (Hegde and Dwivedi, 1992). These off-takes often exceed fertiliser input in many Indian states. Refinement of nutrient management strategies would help maintain the crop productivity and soil fertility, but other rotational strategies could also help especially in situations where greater fertiliser use may be uneconomic or environmentally unacceptable. Legume crops fix atmospheric N and enrich soil fertility, and could help to sustain the long-term productivity of cereal-based cropping systems. Depending on the soil and ecological stresses, a cropping system can be diversified using legumes under different mode. Results from the All-India Coordinated Project on Integrated Farming Systems (AICRP-IFS) of Indian Council of Agricultural Research show consistently better productivity with inclusion of legumes in cropping systems. The benefits of legumes in rotation are not solely due to biological nitrogen fixation but also because it increased nutrient availability, improved soil structure, reduced disease incidence and increased mycorhyizal colonization (Wani et al., 1995). Inclusion of pulses as intercrops in sequential as well as intercropping systems would not only make the country self reliant but also help in improving the soil health. Series of experiments are being conducted under (AICRP-IFS) and elsewhere in the country to identify need based cropping systems for different agro-climatic zones of India. The pre-dominent cropping systems involving legumes as a strategy for nutrient management through different approaches are being discussed here for ready reference of researchers, planners and extension workers.

Peas and beans belonging to the family Fabaceae (Syn. Leguminosae) are delicious and preferred vegetables grown throughout the world. These include cool season vegetables like pea, French bean, lima bean, broad bean and tropical vegetables like cowpea, hyacinth bean, winged bean, jack bean, sword bean etc. These are integral components of sustainable agriculture due to their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen and to improve soil properties. Legume vegetables are rich in protein and essential amino acids and have significant role in combating malnutrition among poor people and vegetarians.

Common features of legume vegetables are summarized below:

1. All legume vegetables are self-pollinated due to cleistogamous nature. Flowers are zygomorphic with papilionaceous corolla, mono-adelphous or di-adelphous stamens.
2. All are direct sown crops and do not respond to transplanting. Since seed size is comparatively bigger and they are closely planted, a high seed rate is required for most of crops.

Peas and beans belonging to the family Fabaceae (Syn. Leguminosae) are delicious and preferred vegetables grown throughout the world. These include cool season vegetables like pea, French bean, lima bean, broad bean and tropical vegetables like cowpea, hyacinth bean, winged bean, jack bean, sword bean etc.  These are integral components of sustainable agriculture due to their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen and to improve soil properties. Legume vegetables are rich in protein and essential amino acids and have significant role in combating malnutrition among poor people and vegetarians.

Soil-rejuvenation power of legumes in crop rotations has been known in several parts of the world since ages. It is mentioned in the Indian agriculture of the Chalcolithic period (ca 1000 BC) (Raychaudhuri and Mira, 1993), in Chinese agriculture in the Han dynasty (ca 2nd century) (Hsu, 1980) and in Roman agriculture (White, 1970). Legumes can be ?tted in cropping systems in India in a number of ways, such as, a crop in a cropping system, a catch crop in an intensive cropping system, an intercrop and as a green manure. A brief discussion on these follows.

Enhancement of population is a global issue and the expected world population will be 9.7 billion in 2050 (UN, 2019). Under the situation, achievement of food and nutritional security is a major target with reduction of GHGs to the atmosphere and mitigation of ill effects of climate change. Modern agriculture is responsible for emission of GHGs in many ways and one of them is production of synthetic N fertilizer. There is no doubt about the fact that chemical N fertilizers enhance crop yield but it is at the cost of atmospheric equilibrium and agricultural sustainability cannot be achieved by this practice (Bedoussac et al. 2015; Layek et al., 2018).

Keys to Genera
Flowers zygomorphic, stamens definite, corolla papillonacious, petals imbricate: 1I, 1O, 3 IO
Group I:    Herbs or shrubs, leaves imparipinnate, leaf lets entire, pods usually dehiscent, or if indehiscent usually small, a few seeded. Cyamopsis
Group II:    Herbs low or climbing, leaves paripinnate, leaflets ending in a tendril or bristle, style bearded, pods dehiscent.
Sub group 1: Staminal tube oblique at mouth, pod compressed. Vicia
Sub group 2: Staminal tube truncate (cutting off) at mouth, pods torpid.  Pisum
Group III:     Climbing or prostrate and rarely erect
Sub group 1: style bearded, stamen diadelphous
Sub-sub group: stigma terminal: Dolichos
Sub-sub group: Stigma oblique: Keel spiral : Phaseolus
Keel not spiral: Vigna
Sub group 2: Style not bearded, stamen monodelphous: Canavalia
Group IV:    Trees or shrubs, some times climbing, pods indehiscent: Psophocarpus

Garden Pea
It is cool season crop cultivated throughout the world. It is extensively grown in temperate zone and is restricted to cooler altitudes in tropics and winter season in sub tropics. It is rich source of proteins (25.6%), amino acids and sugars. It goes well with other vegetables in vegetable dish.

Legumes
Mutualistic bacteria, such as Rhizobium, form symbiotic relationships with leguminous plants, including various species within the pea family. The Leguminoseae family is particularly recognized for its ability to engage in symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria and its resilience to drought conditions. Among pasture legumes, clovers (Trifolium spp.) are predominant, with red clover (Trifolium pratense) and white clover (Trifolium repens) being the most prevalent species in cooler, wetter regions like Europe and New Zealand. Clovers exhibit a higher protein and mineral content compared to grasses, particularly in terms of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, copper and cobalt, although their nutritional value tends to diminish as they mature.
The sugars found in clovers are akin to those in grasses, with sucrose being the primary sugar. While fructans are typically absent, starch is present, with concentrations in dried red clover leaves reaching up to 50 g/kg DM. In the UK, lucerne is characterized by its high fiber content, especially in the stems, which can reach crude fiber levels of 500 g/kg DM at the late flowering stage. Lucerne cultivars are categorized based on their flowering times, with early-flowering varieties recommended for UK conditions. These varieties generally bloom in the second week of June; however, to ensure acceptable digestibility, the initial harvest should occur at the early bud stage (end of May), when the anticipated digestible organic matter (DOM) content is between 620 and 640 g/kg DM. Subsequent cuts should be made at intervals of 6 to 8 weeks, yielding DOM values of 560 to 600 g/kg DM. In Britain, the limited area of lucerne cultivated is primarily harvested for silage or artificial drying, whereas in other regions, particularly the USA, where it is referred to as alfalfa, the crop is also utilized for grazing. Berseem, also known as Egyptian clover (Trifolium alexandrinum), is a significant leguminous plant cultivated primarily in the Mediterranean region and India. Its rapid growth during the cooler winter months in subtropical climates is highly regarded, along with its ability to recover effectively after being cut or grazed. The nutritional profile
of berseem is comparable to that of lucerne. Additionally, crops such as peas (Pisum sativum) and faba beans (Vicia faba) are occasionally cultivated as green fodder. When harvested at the early flowering stage, these crops exhibit a nutritive value akin to that of other legumes.

Leguminous vegetables include wide range of vegetables which can grow in climatic conditions extending from warm to cool weather. They are rich in protein, essential amino acids and fibre hence, recognized as an important component in ensuring nutritional security. They are growing for its pods for vegetable purpose, seeds as pulse or for dual purpose. They are excellent green manures that fix atmospheric nitrogen into soil and cultivation of leguminous vegetable crops is recommended as an integral component in sustainable soil fertility management. Leguminous vegetables include tropical types namely cowpea, hyacinth bean, winged bean, jack bean, sword bean while, cool season legumes include French bean, garden peas, lima bean and broad bean. They are mostly self-pollinated owing to its cleistogamous flowers. Pole or bush types are available in these crops and all are seed propagated. Among the different leguminous crops, French bean, garden peas and cowpea are under commercial cultivation while other leguminous vegetables are region specific in cultivation.

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata)

Cowpea is a warm season legume grown both as vegetable crop as well as pulse crop. Tender pods are used as vegetable and dry beans are used as pulse. Cowpea is mainly growing for its seeds as pulse than as vegetable crop. The vegetable types bear stringless pods of more than 30 cm long, fleshy pericarp and higher monosaccharide to polysaccharide ratio. Cowpea is believed to be originated and domesticated in West or Central Africa especially Nigeria where diversity was noticed abundant. The cultivated cowpea, Vigna unguiculata is divided into different cultivar groups viz., pulse type as Vigna unguiculata var. unguiculata, Vigna unguiculata var. cylindrica or var. biflora as dual purpose type for fodder and dry seeds and vegetable type as Vigna unguiculata var. sesquipedalis (yardlong bean/string bean/asparagus bean). The cultivar groups, biflora and sesquipedalis are suggested to be originated from ssp. unguiculata in India and South East Asia respectively.

Leguminous vegetables include peas, French bean, Lima bean, broad bean, cowpea, hyacinth bean, winged bean etc. They belong to the family Fabaceae (Syn. Leguminosae). These are cultivated either as sole crop is sometimes as intercrop. In some areas they are used in backyard cultivation also. Most of them are short duration crops and are self pollinated.

8.1. Peas (Pisum sativum L.)

The pea (Pisum sativum L.) is a very common nutritioius vegetable grown in cool season throughout the world. It belongs to the family Fabaceae (Syn. Leguminaceae) and genus Pisum. A pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seedpod of the pod fruit Pisum sativum L. The pea cultivars are grouped into several groups based on shape of seed, plant height, maturity and use of pods. This crop is cultivated for its tender and immature pods for use as vegetable and mature dry pods for use as a pulse. In both the cases the seeds are separated and used as vegetable or pulse. The central Asia is regarded as the place of origin for all legumes including pea. Based on the genetic diversity, Central Asia, the Near East, Abyssinia and the Mediterranean is considered to be its centre of Origin. Cultivated garden pea is not seen in wild state and it might have been originated from wild field pea or other related species. In India it widely cultivated states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Orissa and Karnataka. Followed by Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Assam and Jharkhand.

Cultivars/Varietie: Peas varieties are grouped based on maturity (early, mid season and late) plant height (Bush or dwarf, medium tall and tall). The major cultivars under cultivation in different parts of the country are Arkel, Bonneville, Harbhajan, FC-1, Arka Ajit, UN 53-6 (whole edible type), Jawahar Matar 1, Jawahar Matar 2, Jawahar Matar 3, Jawahar Matar 4, Jawahar Matar 5, Jawahar Peas 83, JP 4 (JM 6), JP 19, Lincoin, Mattar Ageta 6, Pantnagar Matar 2, Pant Uphar (IP 3), P 88, PRS 4,Ooty-1 and VL 3.

Low External Input Agriculture (LEIA)

It is a form of agriculture wherein the use of external inputs including chemical inputs is minimized and production is kept sustainable. It uses synthetic fertilizers or chemical pesticides below rates commonly recommended by the Extension workers. There is no elimination of these materials. Any system that reduces purchased chemical inputs can be called low-input farming. Yields are maintained through greater emphasis on crop rotation, crop residues, animal manures, biofertilizers, IPM, IWM and utilization of on-farm resources and management. Locally available resources are used by maximizing the complementary and synergistic effects of different components of the farming systems. There is use of external inputs in a complementary way. Main advantages of this type of agriculture are: