Dr. Arvind Kumar*
Agriculture represents a crucial sector that underpins our population growth and well-being. It has been providing nourishment for generations. According to the United Nations, agricultural development is one of the most powerful tools to combat extreme poverty, boost prosperity, and feed the global population. India, a predominantly agrarian country and a few decades ago, India’s agriculture industry was the backbone of its economy, contributing a staggering 75% to the country’s GDP. Fast forward to the present day, and this number has dwindled to a mere 18.3% (2022-2023). We are unable to enable business of agriculture and make it a lucrative profession for youth. Although it seeks to improve knowledge and understanding of this business environment, which can help governments to establish appropriate regulatory systems that ensure the safety and quality of agricultural goods and services without being overly costly or burdensome on market actors. This transformation showcases a shift in India’s economic landscape and has brought along a set of multifaceted challenges that necessitate a critical review of the country’s agriculture policy, particularly concerning food security. Each year 23rd December is celebrated as National Farmers Day to commemorate the birth anniversary of Choudhary Charan Singh, India’s fifth Prime Minister and also to commemorate and recognize farmers as the country’s backbone. As per the findings of the Global Food Security Index 2022, India has a 16.3% prevalence of under nutrition. Considering this, agriculture plays a crucial role in the nation’s pursuit of achieving its food security objectives. The provision of safe and nutritious food has been a paramount concern for governments throughout history, including in India. Despite this the agricultural sector remains excluded from the negotiation table at international platforms. Farmers had high expectations of a COP that started by putting agricultural sectors high on the agenda with the launch of the UAE Declaration on Agriculture, Food and Climate, adopted under the UAE Presidency. The over 150 Heads of State and Governments who have signed the Declaration committed to expediting the integration of agriculture and food systems into their climate action and mainstream climate action across agricultural policies and the food system agenda. However, these commitments are only reflected to a very low extent in the conclusions of the COP28.
Climate change and its impacts is one of the biggest challenges farmers worldwide are facing. Changing weather patterns, weather extremes, and climate change-triggered droughts are among the key drivers of food insecurity. All these events have a huge impact on food production, as they significantly limit the quality, availability, and accessibility of resources, and compromise the stability of food systems around the world.
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Agri Challenges worldwide
In 2022, the world population hit 8 billion and if growth continues at the same rate, it will double in next 50 years if the growth continues at the same rate. However, our current methods of food production, including monocropping and intensive tilling, have degraded over one-third of the world’s productive topsoil while failing to provide the agricultural yields necessary to sustain the growing global population. A constantly growing global population can also have adverse effects, including the lack of water resources and added pressure on available arable land. Agriculture already accounts for 70% of all freshwater used on the planet. As the global population is estimated to exceed 9 billion by 2050, it is becoming increasingly urgent to find alternative solutions that allow feeding the world without destroying it. Agriculture is highly dependent on climate and weather conditions. Prolonged drought or extensive rainfall can have devastating repercussions on soil health and fertility. Of the 1.38 billion hectares of arable land available worldwide, more than one-third has been irreversibly compromised since 1961 owing to extensive land conversion and traditional agricultural methods such as monocropping and intensive tilling and land conversion that lead to soil erosion, desertification, and salinisation.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported a decline of 54 million hectares of arable land across developed countries in North America, Europe, and South Asia. Meanwhile, some countries in East and North Africa as well as South Asia have already reached their limit of farmable land. Only 12% of the global land surface is used for crop production and it is unlikely this number will increase mostly due to urbanisation. That’s why the pressure remains to preserve the existing arable land, despite most of it already starting to degrade. The extensive loss of biological diversity in agriculture is an example of what biologists call genetic erosion. For example, in India, of the 400,000 varieties of rice that existed originally, only about 30,000 remain today. Despite the countless amounts of research suggesting the need to invest in agriculture, this remains a relatively uncommon practice. Investing in agriculture basically means putting the funds behind food and crop production, processing, and distribution. However, it is not a very attractive strategy for the average investor as it requires a large capital commitment, and the time and costs of operating or leasing a farm are often substantial too. Agriculture also represents a market with very volatile prices, usually lower income for farmers, it comes with the environmental costs of intensive farming and agriculture is a key component of rural life, which is less and less popular in our modern society.
Basket of challenges
Despite being one of the largest food producers globally, India continues to grapple with food insecurity. Millions of citizens still lack access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food. This paradox highlights the need for a robust and effective agriculture policy that can address the issues. Amidst the following challenges lie promising opportunities for improvement that can transform India’s agriculture landscape. Seeds are a crucial component in enhancing crop yields and ensuring consistent growth in agricultural output. Providing seeds of guaranteed quality is just as important as manufacturing them. Unfortunately, the high cost of superior seeds makes it challenging for farmers to afford them, which is one of the major obstacles faced by the Indian agriculture sector. Tasks like ploughing, seeding, irrigating, thinning and pruning, weeding, harvesting, threshing, and transporting crops are performed without the use of machinery or with minimal machinery involvement. This is especially true for small and marginal farms. As a result, a large amount of human labor is required, leading to low productivity per worker. Undoubtedly, food-grain production in India has increased five-fold over the last six decades; nonetheless, with the average Indian farm half as large as it used to be five decades ago and yields among the lowest even in developing economies; both the agriculture sector and farmers have been driven to the brink. India’s low crop yield in pulses and cereal is attributed to excessive dependence on monsoons, which are becoming more erratic owing to rapidly changing climate. According to the experts, small and marginal farmers face the dual plight of affordability and difficulty of adopting modern techniques of irrigation and crop production on small plots. Thus, burdened by indebtedness due to successive crop failures and low yields, the farmers in some areas are becoming miserable to the extent that in some cases they are pushed to the brink to end their lives. Hence, more smallholder-centric reforms in the agriculture sector are needed before the Enabling Business of Agriculture model is widely applied in India.
Way Ahead
Simply focusing on more sustainable practices in agriculture, such as reducing tillage, practicing crop rotations, planting cover crops, and integrating livestock into crop production systems has already proven to have immense benefits. Mimicking natural processes of the Earth can improve soil conditions as well as increase biodiversity and yield production. Sustainable agriculture often uses practices that help to store carbon in the soil. Adopting vertical farming which is an innovative agricultural practice that has the potential of solving the impending food crisis. Dubai is home to the “world’s largest vertical farm”, which produced 900 tonnes of leafy greens every year. Emirates airline passengers have been eating the produce from the vertical farm ECO1 since July 2022 and UAE residents can buy the greens in stores.
As India navigates the evolving dynamics of its agriculture sector, the challenges and opportunities within its agriculture policy for food security become increasingly evident. With the right blend of innovation, technology, and policy reform, the agriculture sector can regain its strength while ensuring food security for all citizens. However, this transformation requires the collective efforts of industry players, citizens, and most of all – the expertise of skilled policymakers. Agriculture, although most times overlooked, is one of the most important sectors for economies and often sustains every other sector. That is why governments should understand the importance of supporting farmers in the transition to more sustainable agricultural methods. Sufficient food production relies on nutritious and good-quality soils. This is the main reason why reforms in the agriculture sector are required. However, finding a remedy will require changes that extend far beyond the soil itself. It will involve changing the way we farm and potentially the whole nature of the agrochemical industry. It could also change the way we feed people all around the world.
*Editor, Focus Global Reporter
