Chapter 3- Capitalizing on Technology for Farmers’ Welfare

Farming is both a way of life and means to livelihood for nearly 60 per cent of our population, a majority of whom are women and youth. The basic difficulties of farmers can be overcome only if integrated attention is given to pricing, procurement and public distribution. Technology can play a major role in transforming agriculture and meeting the government’s vision of doubling farmers’ income by 2020.

Major issue areas:

Compounding the difficulties of today, farmers are facing serious problems from climate change. The support extended to farmers should be according to the requirements of those cultivating in arid zone sem-arid dry farming, irrigated areas, groundwater farming and plantation crops in hilly areas.

Progress in agriculture with the use of technology:

The progress made by our farmers in improving production and productivity is illustrated by the fact that wheat production in India has gone up from 7 million tonnes in 1947 to over 100 million tonnes in 2018. Such an impressive progress has been rendered possible due to interaction between technology and public policy.
Many innovations have taken place in the effective use of genetic knowledge for improving productivity and profitability of crops induced mutation, chromosome doubling through colchicine and genetic medication through the application of the new knowledge in molecular biology.
Breeding has helped in developing strains with a higher yield potential before taking the new technology to the field. Nevertheless, it is important that they are assessed for their positive as well as potentially negative effects.
Genetic engineering technology has opened up new avenues of molecular breeding. However, their potential undesirable impacts will have to be kept in view. What is important is not to condemn or praise any technology, but choose the one which can take us to the desired goal sustainably, safely and economically.

Goals by the National Commission on Farmers (NCF) for ensuring sustainable agriculture and food security:

To improve the economic viability of farming by ensuring that farmers earn a “minimum net income”.
To mainstream the human and gender dimension in all farm policies and programmes and give explicit attention to sustainable rural livelihoods.
To complete the unfinished agenda in land reforms and to initiate comprehensive asset and aquarian reforms
To develop and introduce a social security system and support services for farmers.
To protect and improve the land, water, biodiversity and climate resources essential for sustained advances in the productivity, profitability and stability of major farming systems by creating an economic stake in conservation.
To foster community-centered food, water and energy security systems in rural India and to ensure nutrition security at the level of every child, woman and man.
To introduce measures which can help to attract and retain youth in farming by making it both intellectually stimulating and economically rewarding.
To strengthen the biosecurity of crops, farm animals, fish and forest trees for safeguarding both the work and income security of farmer families, and the health and trade security of the nation.
To restructure agricultural curriculum and pedagogic methodologies for enabling every farm and home science graduate to become an entrepreneur and to make agricultural education gender sensitive.
To make India global outsourcing hub in the production and supply of inputs needed for sustainable agriculture, and products and processes developed through biotechnology and information and Communication Technology.

Significant decisions taken to improve the status and income of the farmers:

Designated the Ministry of Agriculture as Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare to stress the importance of keeping farmers’ welfare as the measure of agricultural progress.
Issue of Soil Health Cards to all farmers.
Allocation of both budgetary and non-budgetary resources for promoting micro-irrigation through the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY).
Conservation and sustainable use of indigenous breeds of cattle through Rashtreeya Gokul Mission.
Promoting online trade through electronic national agriculture market which helps to bring together different agricultural markets.
Introduction of agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing Act, 2017 and Agricultural Produce and Livestock Contract Farming Services Act, 2018 supported by electronic Negotiable Warehouse Receipt (eNWR) system for increased institutional credit to the farm sector.
Determination of Minimum Support Price (MSP) based on the recommendations of National Commission on Farmers (NCF).
Integration of protein rich pulse and nutrient rich millets into welfare programs including Public Distribution System (PDS), mid-day meals, ICDS etc.

Anticipatory Research in the era of Climate Change:

There are several reports in the media about the bioshield function of mangrove forests along coastal areas. Mangroves have helped to save both lives and livelihoods particularly of fisher and coastal communities. The beneficial impact of mangroves has been observed by the local community on several occasions including the recent Gaja in Tamil Nadu. Earlier the damage caused by the Tsunami and the super cyclone in Odisha were also considerably less in mangrove rich areas.
It is in recognition of the critical role of mangroves in the conservation of coastal ecosystems that the famous temple at Chidambaram chose a mangrove plant as a Temple Tree.
In India, the general appreciation of the role mangroves play in both ecological and livelihood security has been little.
A Charter for Mangroves was prepared and with the help of the Government of Japan and IITO an International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems (ISME) was formed in 1990.

New technologies are the basic raw material for productivity improvement. There are adequate opportunities for anticipatory research involving new technologies. We should capitalize on them to ensure the well-being of farmers and farming.