IMPROVED INTEGRATED FARMING TO AUGMENT FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY OF MASSES

N. G. Hegde, Principal Adviser and Trustee, BAIF Development Research Foundation, Dr. Manibhai Desai
Nagar, SYNOPSIS Stagnation in agricultural production in India is a cause of serious concern, which needs to be addressed through inclusive development. To address this challenge, the strategy should be to improve irrigation efficiency, ensure balanced plant nutrition management, develop denuded lands for increasing the cropping area, breed drought tolerant high yielding varieties of coarse millets and pulses and promote dairy husbandry, preferably through mixed farming. Active involvement of civil society organisations and farmers organisations can help in capacity building of small farmers and women, while developing a value chain for the produce. KEYWORDS: Food security, rural poor, rain fed farming, green revolution, livestoc! 1. INTRODUCTION "hile India has made significant progress in the areas of science, technology and industrial development, food security for the rural poor continues to be a cause of serious concern. This is inspite of the successful #reen $evolution, launched in the sixties, which sustained its positive impact for over three decades. Subse%uently, since the mid nineties, there has been stagnation in agricultural production, resulting in food and nutritional insecurity. &ence, this study was underta!en to assess the current situation and explore suitable solutions to enhance agricultural production in a sustainable manner, while empowering small farmers and wea!er sections of the society to earn their livelihood. 2. OBJECTIVES The overall ob'ective was to identify the !ey factors having potential to provide food security and to suggest suitable technical and policy measures to improve the food production and buying capacity of the poor. The specific ob'ectives were to study the factors which have contributed to the success of #reen $evolution, reasons for stagnation in the growth of agricultural production and to develop a strategy to boost agricultural production, while helping the rural poor to earn their livelihood. 3. BACKGROUND 3.1 PROB EMS OF FOOD PRODUCTION: Increasing population and their dependence on agriculture, small and fragmented land holdings, depletion of soil productivity, inefficient use of water resources, out dated agricultural production technologies, lac! of agricultural credit and infrastructure for post harvest management and mar!eting of agricultural produce are responsible for low yield and income. Although India receives an ar!e, Pune "##$%&, nghegde'bai(.org.in

) *+(,. -ublished in .The /asics of &uman 0ivilisation1 Food Agriculture and &umanity2 3ol. I1 -resent Scenario. 4r. -rem 5ath Agricultural Science Foundation, /angalore. annual rainfall of (66+ mm, only ,+ 7+8 rainwater is utilised effectively, reducing the area under irrigation to only 9* million ha, against the potential of (:+ million ha ;&egde, *+(*<. =ivestoc! is another source of income but severe genetic erosion over the years and neglect of nutrition and health care, have turned this asset into a liability. "hen the yields of crops and livestoc! are low, farmers earn lower income and naturally, the employment opportunities are also reduced. >nemployment leads to poverty, malnutrition, ill health, neglect of women, high infant mortality and illiteracy. Improvement in agricultural production, can address these challenges. 3.2 INDIAN GREEN REVO UTION FOR FOOD SECURITY: The #reen $evolution programme which was launched in a mission mode, with various services for bac!ward and forward integration, enabled the farmers in -un'ab, &aryana and parts of >ttar -radesh and $a'asthan, to increase food production and their income. The food grain production increased from ?* million tons in (@9+ to (69.: million tons in (@@+ and to *:(.79 million tons in *+(+. The yields of rice, wheat, maiAe and oilseeds had increased by over *++8, but the increase in the yields of pulses and coarse cereals, which are mostly grown in rain fed areas by small farmers, was insignificant. Increase in land productivity and crop yields generated employment for landholders as well as the landless, while ensuring food security for the country. &owever, the growth in agricultural production started declining from (+ (*8 in the ?+s to :.68 in the @+s and to *.,8 during *++* +6 ;#overnment of India, *+((<. The cost of inputs for cultivation of high yielding varieties increased steeply, reducing the profit margin, but there was no ma'or brea!through to enhance the crop productivity in rain fed areas. $eduction in the rate of growth in food production reduced the per capita availability of food grains, which accelerated the incidences of malnutrition. Stagnation in agricultural production suppressed employment opportunities in rural areas, thereby reducing the contribution of agriculture to the national #4- from 7?8 in (@7( to ,78 in (@@( and to (68 in *++@. !. CONSIDERATIONS FOR BOOSTING AGRICU TURA PRODUCTION "hile focussing on the development in agricultural production across the country, it is necessary to categorise the areas which were benefitted through #reen $evolution and the other areas which had low impact, and develop a suitable strategy loo!ing at ground realities. For areas li!e -un'ab and &aryana, where the post green revolution growth in agricultural production is stagnant, the strategy should be to change the cropping pattern to rebuild soil productivity, ma!e efficient use of water by adopting micro irrigation systems, balanced crop nutrition with emphasis on increased doses of farm yard manure, biofertilisers and micro nutrients and promote intensive large siAe dairy farming. This system of farming is already becoming popular in -un'ab and suitable policy support can popularise this programme further. "ith the increase in the yield of food grains in other parts of the country, changed cropping plans in -un'ab and &aryana will not affect the food security in the country. ". STRATEGY FOR DEVE OPMENT OF RAIN#FED AREAS Bver 678 of the rural households in the country are marginal and small farmers, holding less than * ha and a ma'ority of them are dependent on rain fed agriculture for their livelihood. &owever, as the crop yields are low, :+ ) :7 8 of the rural families are living in poverty. To ensure food security to them, it is necessary to improve agricultural production, while enhancing their employment generation opportunities. This can be managed by promotion of improved production practices and development of degraded and wastelands through mixed farming. As most of the small holders are unable to earn their livelihood from crop production alone, livestoc! husbandry should be an integral part of the sustainable agricultural development.

The following priority areas for ensuring food security, need special attention1 ".1 WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT: "ater is the most critical input to boost agricultural production but excessive use of water has not only reduced the irrigation efficiency but has also turned fertile lands into sodic wastelands. Cfficient storage of surface water, metered supply of irrigation water with realistic pricing and promotion of micro irrigation systems, can increase water use efficiency to 6+ 678 while increasing the area under irrigation and reducing pollution of ground water. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce efficient irrigation systems, while covering rain fed areas under an efficient watershed development programme. But of ?+ million ha rain fed cropping area, over 9+ million ha are located in semi arid and arid regions where crop yields are low. Although about 7+ 77 million ha have been covered under watershed development so far, in the absence of a holistic development programme, the impact has been low. &owever, in some watersheds, where attempts were made to launch a holistic programme in convergence with other development activities, the agricultural production has increased by 9+ ?+8. Cxperiences of such successful watersheds can be widely replicated by involving committed 5#Bs, -anchayati $a' institutions and farmers organisations. -romotion of "ater >sers #roups for efficient distribution and utilisation of water, good incentives for introducing micro irrigation systems and curb on free power supply, can promote efficient water use. ".2 IMPROVING AGRICU TURA PRODUCTION: 4evelopment of degraded and wastelands for crop production and introduction of eco friendly practices to improve the production in rain fed areas should be the priority. $eclamation of @ million ha sodic wastelands, * million ha ravine lands and ,+ :+ million ha of denuded wastelands for agricultural production, involving committed voluntary organisations for bac!ward and forward integration, can easily increase the food production by @+ (++ million tons per annum while generating year round employment for millions. -ulses and millets can be grown in rain fed areas, even on low fertile soils under moisture stress. There are many pulses which are of 67 ) @+ days duration, good for cultivation on residual soil moisture, after harvesting )hari( crop. Farmers in areas receiving low rainfall, re%uire precise information on weather forecasts, drought resistant varieties of various crops and mechanised implements for carrying out timely operations. This can promote various micro enterprises for providing farming services. ".3 PROMOTION OF AGRI#HORTI#FORESTRY: There are various systems of agroforestry to suit different agro climatic conditions. "hile the shallow soils under moisture stress are suited for silvipasture, denuded lands located in areas receiving ?++ mm rainfall, can be brought under agri horti forestry. "ith the ob'ective of rehabilitating the tribals on such lands in their own environs, /AIF 4evelopment $esearch Foundation, a civil society organisation, has promoted an uni%ue agri horti forestry programme, where +.: ha land owned by each family was developed as orchard, by establishing drought tolerant fruit crops, while the inter space was used for growing food crops. This programme enabled the participant families to earn $s. ,7,+++ ) 7+,+++ per annum after : 9 years. Additional income generation from cultivation of food and cash crops in the inter space, fruit nurseries, collection of minor forest products and medicinal herbs could be generated right from the first year to sustain their livelihood. -resently, over (.7 la!h families spread over @ states, have benefitted from this programme, which can be expanded across the country. This is a uni%ue programme where employment generation, food security and environmental conservation can be achieved simultaneously.

".! IVESTOCK DEVE OPMENT: =ivestoc! is a source of supplementary income for over 6+ ?+8 rural households, who own different species of livestoc!. &owever, over ?+8 of the livestoc! particularly cattle and buffaloes are uneconomical due to low mil! yield. To address this problem, /AIF has demonstrated a uni%ue approach of genetic improvement for producing high yielding cattle and buffaloes at the doorsteps of small farmers and , such milch animals can provide sustainable livelihood for a family. Initially, the programme has a gestation period of ,.7 to : years. Subse%uently, the participant families are able to earn $s. ,7,+++ :+,+++ per annum. They can earn additional income by selling surplus animals, which fetch $s. ,+,+++ to 7+,+++ per cow or buffalo. /AIF is presently operating ,7++ livestoc! development centres spread over (9 states covering : million families in 9+,+++ villages, contributing $s. ,7++ crores to the national #4- every year through increase in mil! production. #oat husbandry is another opportunity to provide supplementary income without increasing the herd siAe without causing any burden on natural resources. This programme, focussing on breed improvement, health care, efficient feeding and direct mar!eting, could enhance the income by : 7 times within a short span of (? to *: months. -iggery, poultry and fishery also have good opportunity in selected areas. =ivestoc! development blended with agriculture, can facilitate an efficient nutrient cycle to boost agricultural production. "." AGRI#BUSINESS ACTIVITIES: $ural employment can also be generated through production of critical agricultural inputs such as vermicompost, bio fertilisers, bio pesticides, mushroom spawn, sil!worm eggs, cattle feed, seeds of food and fodder crops, etc. Series of agro service centres as well as livestoc! breeding centres can be established, by training unemployed youth and supporting their business through ban!ing institutions. Such service centres can also ta!e up the distribution of inputs and organise collection and gradation of farm produce, for mar!eting or processing. 4ecentralised agro processing units can also generate additional employment. ".$ OFF#FARM EMP OYMENT OPPORTUNITIES: -romotion of various off farm activities li!e production of housing material, generation of alternate energy devices, textile, handicrafts, farm e%uipment and tools, can open up new employment opportunities for the youth. There is also scope for agro engineering services, electrical repairs and fittings, automobile servicing, trade and tourism. ".% CAPACITY BUI DING FOR GOVERNANCE: "hile focussing on capacity building of the farmers in rain fed areas, women empowerment should be given priority as women manage 9+ to 678 farming operations. This can be done through formation of Self &elp #roups of producers, creating awareness through exposure visits, hands on training on appropriate technologies and establishing lin!ages with development and financial institutions for easy access to technologies and resources. 4evelopment of physical infrastructure such as storage, grading and processing facilities as needed, should be underta!en. $esources for these activities can be mobilised by converging on going schemes with various Dinistries of the #overnment of India. To ensure the success and sustainability of the programme, good governance is a critical input. There is also a need for sensitising the members of the local #ram -anchayats, Farmers 0ooperatives and well reputed 0ivil Society Brganisations to ta!e active part in supporting the programme. Such strong grassroot level organisations can ma!e best use of various development programmes while establishing efficient value chains for different commodities. $. RECOMMENDATION

Selected farmers organisations and civil society organisations engaged in sustainable agricultural development with good trac! record, can be entrusted to develop suitable agricultural development programmes with a holistic approach. 3illage level producers groups can ta!e active part in identifying their needs and underta!e suitable income generation activities to enhance agricultural production. -ublic private partnership may be promoted to develop value chains to improve the profitability. "ith such an integrated programme, most of the small farmers can come out of poverty and empower themselves to ensure food security. %. REFERENCES (. #overnment of India. *+((. Faster, Sustainable and Dore Inclusive #rowth ) An Approach to the EII Five Fear -lan, -lanning 0ommission, 5ew 4elhi. &egde, 5.#. *+(*. "ater Scarcity and Security in India. @@ th Indian Science 0ongress. >niversity, /hubaneswar , 6 Hanuary. (@ pp. GIIT

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