Farm Front:Back to basics
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Science & technology has played a crucial role in boosting food production. It ushered in the Green Revolution and bailed out the country from its ‘ship-to-mouth’ situation. The S&T-led Green Revolution was also witnessed in other parts of the developing world, with the involvement of the national agricultural research systems (Nars) and cooperation of global research bodies.
The technology package of ‘improved seeds’ for dwarf crops, extensive use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides and farm mechanisation no doubt increased productivity, but was not free from negative fallout. After years of implementation of this technology package, marked decline in total factor productivity is now being witnessed not only in the Green Revolution states of Punjab and Haryana, but also in other parts of the globe. Deterioration of soil health, contamination of water, overexploitation of groundwater and pesticide residues have raised global concern. The prevalence of capital-intensive farm practices coupled with low returns have compelled some farmers to take the extreme step of committing suicides. Against the backdrop of the problems caused due to chemical and mechanised agriculture, there is a growing preference worldwide for organic food and fresh fruits and vegetables. Sustainable agriculture has become the topic of the day. Farm scientists and policymakers, therefore have a vital role to play in the interests of farmers and consumers. The possible way is to go back to the basics. Whatever new technologies are needed to be developed for the future should be based on the century-old concept of sustainable agriculture. The traditional practices need to be updated. Chemical agriculture worldwide is only 100-odd years old. It began with the use of chemical fertilisers in northwestern Europe in the latter half of 1890s. Use of chemical fertilisers in India is about 40-odd years – since the ushering in Green Revolution in the mid-1960s. Farm mechanisation followed industrial revolution at a much later stage. Before the advent of modern farm practices, farmers across the world ensured food security through gradually evolving practices. Over the centuries, farmers developed varieties of seeds which are available even today. They maintained farm biodiversity, deployed bio-control agents and used biopesticides to protect the crops and used organic manure to increase productivity. The data tells us that in those days production and productivity were on the rise, but at differing paces. Unfortunately, these practices were put on the backburner. Farm research became more oriented to chemical and highly mechanised agriculture with assistance from US land grant universities. Sadly, even today, when farm scientists talk of sustainable practices like zero or minimum tillage or permanent raised bed technologies, they design costly machines. It would be better for farm scientists to design machines which can be produced by village artisans and develop suitable on-farm practices and technologies encashing on the rich experience of farmers. Scientists are also developing transgenic seeds with a view to reduce the use of chemical pesticides. But transgenic technology has become controversial with several reports of its adverse impact on health and environment. Scientific endeavour and knowledge deserves appreciation, but the technology to be deployed should not adversely affect environmental health. Source:Financial Express |
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