Open Forum

New Delhi, 20 December 2023 

Agricultural Productivity

CUTTING EMISSIONS VITAL

By Dhurjati Mukherjee 

Increasing agricultural productivity is undoubtedly a national goal, more so as India is thinking of emerging as a major producer in this field. With the standard of living improving, the variety in food consumption is also showing a healthy trend. But with the increase in population, the need for higher productivity is critical keeping in view the future requirements. In fact, FAO estimated that by 2050, the world will need to produce almost 50 percent more food, feed and biofuel, than it did in 2012. It projected that feeding a world population of 9.3 billion people in 2050 implied that food production in developing countries must double from that in 2005-07. 

Though this projection may change considering the ground reality and the availability of land and water, which are already stumbling blocks, not just in India but many other nations, production undoubtedly needs a big boost. Climate change may also add significantly to the pressure on availability of natural resources for farming. Additionally, is the crucial factor of reducing emissions and ensuring green strategies in farming, one of the key issues before the just concluded COP28, which wanted reduction “in methane emissions globally” by 2030. This has the potential to impact India severely with its increasing number of livestock and huge paddy cultivation.   

A closer look suggests that the need for increasing yield in a populous country like India was realised long back by the renowned agricultural scientist, Dr M. S. Swaminathan. Agricultural scientists since his time have suggested certain measures which include double cropping, better rotation of crops, fighting plant diseases and pests, etc. However, it may be noted that “productivity enhancing investment in agriculture, however, depends not only on the state of knowledge but also on conditions governing the adoption of technology; it depends on the land tenure system which determines how the agricultural produce is divided between owners of land and agricultural labour; on the terms of trade between agriculture and industry, which determine the relative cheapness of industrial inputs vis-a-vis agricultural produce; and on the level of demand of agricultural produce.” 

Though on the institutional front, the government has been trying in a limited manner to solve the problems of agriculture through land reforms and, on the technological front, a modest beginning has been made in motivating farmers to use of improved implements, seeds, chemicals, manures, etc., much more needs to be done. Small farmers at the grass-root levels need training and support, which regrettably is not forthcoming from the local administration. 

There is a crucial problem in most parts of the country with regard to water, which has been a hindrance to the spread of irrigation facilities and since the time of Dr Swaminathan the need for sustainable agriculture has been emphasised. But productivity increase has been seen as intrinsically opposed to, or at best, in competition with sustainability. The possibility of convergence between higher productivity and environmental sustainability is, no doubt, a vital challenge of the day. 

The tenet of environmental sustainability inevitably necessitates the need for ensuring higher levels of food production without expansion in cropland through deforestation. Thus, resource use efficiency must be the focal point of attention in the coming years as it will be logically impossible to attain food as also nutrition security for a growing population with a sustainable footprint. This has been well understood and, as per available figures, just around 11 percent of the overall increase in crop production in the last half a century can be attributed to the expansion of cropland area.   

The more important aspect is the application of biotechnology, in terms of transgenic technology to breed crops with higher productivity and better resistance to biotic and a biotic shocks. Experts have opined that developments in biotechnology are increasingly being seen as essential to the cause of environmental sustainability, whether in terms of climate change mitigation or the reduced use of nitrogenous fertilizers in growing cereal crops. Though the potential of technology cannot be doubted, the effect on soil fertility remains a big question. 

Another crucial aspect is the nutritional aspect, more so because a considerable part of the Indian population is vegetarian. A recent study found that India’s rice and wheat varieties have lost essential health-friendly minerals and accumulated toxic elements, showing a decline in grain nutrient make-up that they say remained largely neglected. According to the study, the concentration of essential elements including calcium, iron and zinc in grains from present-day cultivated rice and wheat varieties are between 19 to 45 percent lower than in grains from the 1960s. However, present-day wheat grains have lower levels of arsenic and chromium than wheat from the 1960s, as per the study, just published in the journal, Scientific Reports. 

Undoubtedly, the depletion of essential minerals might have adverse health impacts as calcium is needed for bone formation, iron for haemoglobin and zinc for immunity and reproductive and neurological health. Increase in protein consumption is essential and this cannot solely be found in pulses and legumes but also in milk and eggs, which most vegetarians in the country consume. The population, particularly children need to be given more calories, proteins and fat as a move towards providing the population a healthy diet. 

While technology is imperative in boosting productivity, there is need to consider the environmental aspect and synergy with nature. In India, there are innumerable small peasants who have a critical role to play in sustainable agricultural growth through use of natural fertilizers, local production-consumption cycles, energy and technological sovereignty. Indigenous knowledge can be equally effective though not as much as integrative science, but the former could be more sustainably superior if a harmonious relationship has to be developed with nature.  

Though a section of scientists has maintained that many local practices are inefficient, it can very well be said that genetic engineering can be instrumental in preserving some of these practices by upgrading their mechanisms and making them more resource efficient and productive.  In a country like India, where around 60 percent of labour force is dependent on agriculture, there has to be a synergy between biotechnology and genetic engineering, on the one hand, and indigenous knowledge on the other, to ensure environmental sustainability. 

Apart from this, farming can’t be made high cost and capital intensive as a significant section are small farmers and resort to traditional methods of cultivation. Alternative agriculture is no doubt the need of the day, and this must incorporate the country’s traditional knowledge and practices, combined with appropriate low-cost technologies. The policy makers need to keep this in mind along with the backdrop of protecting nature, reducing emissions and ensuring environmental sustainability. A holistic strategy will help in the long run.---INFA 

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