India, with a inhabitants of 145 crore, is self-reliant in its meals and dietary necessities. During the last 70 years, this has been achieved partly by increasing the world underneath agriculture and intensifying practices largely in the course of the inexperienced revolution. With an annual enhance in demand of 2-3 per cent for meals, India should develop 50 per cent extra meals by 2050.
India is prone to fall in need of this meals demand by 2050. To proceed with the present regime of intensive agriculture — which depends closely on chemical fertilisers which have led to the decline in soil well being to alarming ranges — isn’t an possibility. Sole reliance on such a wasteful, energy-intensive, fossil fuel-based agriculture system significantly dangers India’s meals, dietary and ecological safety.
A latest State of the Meals and Agriculture report by the United Nations Meals and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) highlights the rising social, well being, and environmental prices of worldwide agriculture and meals programs. These prices whole $12 trillion yearly. Whereas the present methods of manufacturing can fulfil the calorific necessities of greater than 8 billion folks worldwide, it yields an enormous value to our society and the surroundings. The FAO report states that the Indian agrifood system has hidden prices that embody damages to well being, surroundings, and society.
The continual addition of artificial fertilisers over the previous six many years has lowered the soil natural carbon content material from a wholesome nationwide common of two.4 per cent in 1947 to merely 0.4 per cent right now. That is alarming and nicely under the brink of 1.5 per cent, which is important for sustaining soil’s arable properties. Not solely has it affected the prospects of meals safety, however it has additionally value India an enormous sum of Rs 47.7 lakh crore over the past 70 years ($564 billion), amounting to Rs 68,243 crore per 12 months ($8.06 billion) in misplaced carbon worth.
These prices are along with the present Rs 2 lakh crore per 12 months ($25 billion) subsidy to the fertiliser trade. Artificial fertilisers additionally trigger about 25 million tonnes of greenhouse gasoline emissions (CO2e), costing Rs 14,813 crore per 12 months ($1.75 billion). These subsidies help the wasteful use of artificial fertilisers that instantly cut back soil natural content material, generate monumental greenhouse gasoline emissions and significantly danger India’s meals, dietary, and ecological safety.
As a consequence of this lack of soil well being, the response ratio of fertilisers has declined from 12.1 kg of grain per kg NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium) in 1960-69 to a mere 5.1 kg grain per kg NPK in 2010-17. If such developments proceed, India might face meals shortages as early as 2035, partly attributable to a rise in meals demand by a rising inhabitants, productiveness losses attributable to climatic impacts, lack of soil well being and declining response to artificial fertilisers. Indian agriculture can’t succeed if soil well being fails.
India should, subsequently, search a climate-resilient, nature-based, different agriculture mannequin that reduces the dangers related to intensive agriculture, improves the productiveness and the livelihoods of farmers, whereas respecting planetary boundaries, and never injury human well being. India must mainstream such agriculture to make sure its meals, dietary and ecological safety.
The Prime Minister’s Nationwide Mission on Pure Farming to safeguard Indian agriculture stands in opposition to these dangers. We have to totally respect the worth created by sustainable agriculture practices. Regenerative farming primarily based on the ideas of agroecology can assist cut back enter prices, enhance soil well being, promote even handed use of groundwater, cut back the depletion of pure sources, and, on the identical time, enhance farm productiveness and income. One latest research discovered that community-managed pure farming additionally improved the well being of farmers, farm staff, their households, and customers by efficiently constructing social capital in rural India.
Based mostly on such proof, India should redesign its agriculture to maintain its meals, dietary and ecological safety. It’s potential by figuring out and scaling up programs that utilise ecological intensification, akin to pure or regenerative farming.
The proponents of the at present dominant agricultural practices proceed to depend on artificial inputs in farming programs and promote sustainable intensification as an alternative. Whereas sustainable intensification includes rising productiveness per unit space by utilising inputs extra effectively, ecological intensification is the one promising option to mitigate the dangers to Indian agriculture. It additionally consists of rising efficiencies of agricultural inputs and partially changing non-renewable sources akin to artificial pesticides and fertilisers with renewable sources akin to ecosystem companies primarily based on organic pest management, nutrient biking, enhancing soil well being, and bettering biodiversity.
A redesign of agriculture in India must give attention to radical transformation by adopting regenerative farming and never relying merely on managing the prevailing intensive system, understanding and practising agroecological ideas, enhancing social capital and counting on knowledge-intensive programs, that are supported by participatory and decentralised pedagogies.
Intensive and longitudinal subject analysis throughout all 15 agro-climatic zones within the nation will solely be capable to scientifically set up the true advantages of regenerative farming and generate the mandatory proof, elevating consciousness on the native and nationwide ranges about local weather resilience and the well being and environmental influence of regenerative agriculture. The bottom-level proof, positioned within the public area, will assist create the political will and coverage framework resulting in the event of a scale-up mannequin for the uptake of regenerative farming throughout India. It’ll additionally contribute to the nation’s imaginative and prescient of attaining “internet zero standing” by 2070.
Sandhu is professor and director at Federation College, Australia, and Kumar is the previous vice chairman, NITI Aayog and chairman of Pahle India Basis
Why do you have to purchase our Subscription?
You need to be the neatest within the room.
You need entry to our award-winning journalism.
You don’t need to be misled and misinformed.
Select your subscription package deal
