Sustainable Agriculture - More than just a farming practice.

An agrarian economy like India, with 56.6%[1] of the total population engaged in agriculture and allied activities has failed to be a quintessential epitome of an agrarian economy. The agricultural sector's total contribution to India’s total GDP is only 17-20%[2]. The reason for such low productivity is the lack of awareness and outreach in rural India. Even today in many parts of the country agriculture is done just for subsistence consumption and is carried out through primitive means. Seeds are scattered across fields at random, with no consideration given to how many plants will sprout in a particular area. Farmers are unaware of the amount of fertilizer or insecticides that should be sprayed per hectare of land. Sustainability is a need of an hour for Indian agriculture.

Sustainable agriculture methods and science are as old as the evolution of agriculture. Sustainable agriculture is a method or ideology that combines environmental responsibility and agricultural production. It is a range of stratagem addressing many problems related to agriculture which usually arises due to transitional shift in agriculture or because of conventional agricultural practices. Such problem includes the deterioration of soil due to excessive use of chemical fertilizers, loss of productivity due to intense farming and associated loss of plant nutrients, impending shortage of renewable natural resources. 'A sustainable agriculture system can meet the demand for food and fiber indefinitely at a cost that is socially, economically, and environmentally acceptable.

Sustainability means preservation and conservation. The conservation model of agriculture development was first evolved at the time of the English agricultural revolution. It assumes that natural resources such as land are available in scarce quantity and with poorer use of land marginal productivity of land and labour declines.

So this model recommends that high priority should be given to maintain the productivity of soil to bring it back to its original level. The second solution that it proposes is the integration of livestock husbandry as livestock’s excrete waste is a good source of manure. Many countries are capable of sustaining agricultural product growth over extended periods using the conservation paradigm. The conservation paradigm is still a major source of productivity growth in most impoverished countries, as well as an inspiration for rural reformers and organic farming in rich countries. We will talk about the three most common practices of the conservation model regarding India, namely

  • Ø  Organic farming
  • Ø  Livestock and Agriculture Integration

          ORGANIC FARMING

Organic farming is a type of sustainable agriculture that aims to achieve a sense of balance has in the ecosystem by using chemical-free fertilizers and pesticides. Organic farming is based on the principle of

  • ·         Health
  • ·         Ecology
  • ·         Fairness
  • ·         Care

COMMON PRACTICES OF ORGANIC FARMING ARE

  • ·         DIVERSE CROP ROTATIONS
  • ·         WEED CONTROL
  • ·         BULKY ORGANIC MANURES
  • ·         RECYCLING OF ORGANIC WASTES

INTEGRATED FARMING SYSTEM

In India, where 82 percent of farmers are small and marginal, the Integrated Farming System (IFS) is seen as a potent tool that holds the key to assuring income, employment, livelihood, and nutritional security sustainably for farmers. The IFS is a multi-pronged strategy to efficient, long-term resource management and higher crop output. The IFS methodology incorporates livestock, vermin-composting, organic farming, and other methods to achieve many goals such as sustainability, food security, farmer security, and poverty reduction.

GOALS OF IFS ARE-

  • Optimization of all component firms' yields to maintain a constant and consistent income.
  •  Improvement of the system's productivity and attainment of agro-ecological balance.
  • By managing natural cropping systems, diseases, breeding of pests and insects, and growth of weed can be avoided and can be kept at a low intensity
  • Reduce the usage of pesticides and fertilizers to offer society, healthy chemical free produce while protecting the environment.
There are various models established under IFS, and just because one model fits in one place does not mean it will fit everywhere. Every model will have to be custom-made and constructed in such a way that it leads to significant improvements in energy efficiency at the farm and aids in the maximum utilization of synergies through the use of close cycles also the model should be socially acceptable, environmentally friendly, and economically feasible systems are also required

{Figure-8 Basic Framework of IFS Model

Source-ICAR, Meghalaya report on IFS}

Some of the practices are

  • ·         CROP-LIVESTOCK
  • ·         POULTRY-CUM-FISH CULTURE
  • ·         PIGGERY-CUM-FISH CULTURE
  • ·         DAIRY-CUM-FISH CULTURE

Modern agriculture has become a significant challenge to nature itself. India only encompasses 2.45% and 4% of land and water resources respectively with which it has to meet basic demands of 16% of the total population and over 25% of livestock. Nearly 30% of India's land resources have already been degraded due to wind and water erosion, chemical and physical deterioration of soil, and loss of productivity. Climate change and other factors have also contributed to rising land pressure in recent decades. As a result, efficient use of water, land, forests, energy, and natural resources is critical for humanity's survival and farming's long-term viability.

[1]Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India

[2]Ministry of agriculture and farmer’s affair, India

Author

Ms. Gunjan Bhojwani (1212210020)    

Research Scholar, 

M.Sc. Economics

Dr. Vishwanath Karad MIT-WPU

 

Co-Author:

Prof. Gaurav Petkar

Professor, School of Economics

Dr. Vishwanath Karad MIT-WPU





  




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