Economic Development of India: Some Issues and Concerns

Issues and Concerns

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Infrastructure Development Socio-Demographic Issues Climate Change & Environment Issues in Sustainable Agriculture Use of Science and Technology in Agriculture

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Hygiene and Housing

Health Security, Health and Happiness Rural System Research ( RSR) Education Water Security Paradigm Shift: Recommended by Swaminathan Committee

Declining Sex Ratio

Number of females per 1000 males
980 970 960 950 940 930 920 910 900 1901 1971 1981 1991 2001 2011 930 934 927 933 940 972

Children for Happiness

You can give them happiness, if people have a duty towards those who are not yet born, that duty is not to give them existence but to give them happiness.

Indian Agriculture

Developing Rural Economy through Science and Agricultural Progress

Synergy between Technology and Agriculture The beginning of Green Revolution

Production gains today should not erode prospects for the future

MSSRF WFP 2003

From Green to an Ever-green Revolution Pathways

Green Revolution : Commodity- Evergreen Revolution : increasing centred increase in productivity productivity in perpetuity without associated ecological harm

Change In plant architecture, and Organic agriculture : cultivation without any use of chemical inputs like mineral harvest index fertilizers and chemical pesticides Green Agriculture : conservation farming with the help of integrated pest management, integrated nutrient supply and integrated natural resource management

If agriculture and economics go wrong, nothing else will go right

Enhancing our Agricultural Competitiveness: Basic Thrusts

Approaches

o Defend the gains already accrued

o Extend the gains to rain-fed, mountain, desert and coastal areas

o Make new gains through farming systems diversification and value addition as well as agroindustrial complexes, technological and management innovations.

Basic Principles
Land resources conservation, restoration and sustainable and equitable use

o Classification of land into 3 categories conservation, restoration and sustainable intensification areas o Preventing the diversion of prime farm land for non-farm uses
o Concurrent attention to all aspects of Soil health care (Physics, Chemistry, both macro- and micronutrients and Microbiology )

Building a Sustainable Water Security System

Pathways o o o o Supply augmentation Demand management Quality monitoring and improvement Harnessing new technologies a. Solar desalination b. Breeding for abiotic stresses c. Bio-remediation d. Precision farming and green house horticulture e. Information and Communication technologies for launching a Water Literacy Movement

Water Security : WAR for Water (Winning, Augmentation and Renovation) Components o Rain Water Harvesting o Recycling of wastewater o Stringy use of water o Technologies for desalination

o Providing safe drinking water for rural and remote areas

Water Security : Small Water Harvesting Structures (Jal Kund)

Ideal for areas like Sorah (Chirappunji)

Community Food and Water Security System

Conservation - Cultivation Consumption - Commerce

Gene Bank

Seed Bank

Grain Bank

Water Bank

Pathway to achieving the UN Millennium Development Goal of Eradicating hunger and poverty

Sea Water Farming for Coastal Area Prosperity

Sea Water : 97% of Global Water Pool Agriculture : Consumes over 80% of fresh water

Components of Action Plan

o Mixed cropping of Mangroves, Salicornia and Atriplex

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Sustainable capture fisheries

Low external input sustainable aquaculture (shrimp farming) Market driven off-farm enterprises to improve the population supporting capacity of the ecosystem.

Onset of Knowledge Era

o Right choice of Fertilizer material, Including organic manures biofertilizers and micro-nutrients o Right quantity in relation to the inherent nutrient supply capacity of the soil

o Right method of application to reduce losses

o Right time of application in relation to crop growth period o Right positive interaction with other farm operations like tillage, water, weed management and crop rotation

Managing Challenge in Agriculture

Demographic Challenge : Attracting and retaining youth in farming

Technological Challenge: Ecological Challenge

Economic Challenge

Genetic Engineering, Information Technology Climate, Water, Soil, Biodiversity

World Trade Agreement in Agriculture

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Ethical Challenge
Equity Challenge

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Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Farmers Rights

Social and gender equity Reaching the Unreached

Genome Saviours Some Tribes of Jeypore Tract of Orissa

Bhumia

Paroja

Kutia Kandha

Bonda

Soura

UN Framework Convention on Climate Change

Durban (South Africa) Conference (COP 17) Dec.2011
Outcome
o o o o o o Limit expected temperature increase to 2 deg. C Parties to Kyoto Protocol will finalise their targets for second commitment period commencing from 2013 Setting up a Durban Platform for Enhanced Action Agree to deliver a Climate Agreement covering all parties by the year 2015, that would come into force by 2020 Establish a Green Climate Fund Operationalize the Climate Adaptation Committee and the Climate Technology Centre and Network

Climate Change : Durban Platform (December 2011)

The Durban meeting shows that climate policy and climate science inhabit parallel worlds

(Nature, 15 December 2011)

Damage Limitation : 3 deg C or 4 deg C average warming the planet may experience in the long term, according to some analyses of the Durban outcome

Durban Accord : Implications for Wheat Production

o Around 50% of Indias currently favourable, high potential, wheat production area may be reclassified as a heat-stressed, lower-potential short-season growing environment by 2050 o For each 1 degree Celsius rise in mean temperature, wheat yield losses in India are likely to be around 6 million tonnes per year, or around $1.3 billion at current prices o Implication for Research: Shift selection from per crop productivity to per day productivity

Impact of Sea Level Rise

1. Inundation of low lying coastal lands with sea water o millions of ha of land would be affected o small islands would be affected very severely 2. Increased incidence of storm surges

3. Seawater intrusion into freshwater and groundwater

4. Enhancement of tidal waters into rivers 5. Accelerated coastal erosion

6. Climate Refugees will look for new areas to settle

Stockholm + 40 : Social Sustainability

How can we speak to those who live in villages and slums about keeping the oceans, the rivers and the air clean when their own lives are contaminated at the source?

Indira Gandhi added the dimension of social sustainability to economic and environmental sustainability

Source: Stockholm Conference, 1972

Right to Food : Proposed National Food Security Bill

Components o Legal Entitlements (Life Cycle Approach) 35 kg per family per month of wheat, rice or nutri-cereals o Enabling Provisions Food availability Food absorption o Infrastructure : National grid of grain storages o Governance : Reform of the Public Distribution System Special Features : Adoption of a life cycle approach with special attention to the first 1000 days in a childs life, enlarged food basket and considering women as Head of the Household with regard to food entitlements.

Agro-Forestry System involving Fertilizer Trees Building Soil Carbon Banks

Mitigation (Reducing Green Gas Emissions) Carbon dioxide Reducing deforestation and forest degradation and promoting afforestation (REDD) Biogas Plants Neem Coated Urea

Methane Nitrous Oxide

A Biogas Plant, a few Fertilizer Tress and a Farm Pond in every Farm

Celebrating Traditional Wisdom

Significance of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems
Remarkable Land Use Systems and landscapes which are rich in biological diversity evolving from the co-adaptation of a rural

community/ population with its environment and its needs and

aspirations for sustainable development (FAO, 2002).

Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS), FAO

1. Traditional Agricultural System, Koraput, Odisha (Approved) 2. Below Sea Level Farming System, Kuttanad, Kerala (Proposed)

Information on Wave Height and location of fish shoal Transformational Technology Mobile Telephony

Rural System Research (RSR) Biovillages

Natural Resources Conservation and Enhancement

Sustainable Livelihood

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Land Water Biodiversity Common Property Resources

On-farm

Off-farm

High productivity and profitability

Market driven products

Pathway to Sustainable Livelihood

Paradigm Shift Recommended by the Swaminathan Committee (1994)

Existing Strategy Target and technology driven approach Swaminathan Committee Human & social development centered. Effective implementation of Minimum Needs Programme Think, plan and act locally and support nationally

Think and plan centrally and act locally

Awareness Generation National slogans, symbols, and educational strategies

Sensitisation and self-awareness of rural and urban communities concerning the population supporting capacity of their ecosystem