Subject: GS 3
Syllabus: Major Crops & Agriculture
- Major crops cropping patterns in various parts of the country, different types of irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints;
- e-technology in the aid of farmers.
- Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices;
Questions
- Crop diversification as a remedy for a large number of issues is suggested by various economists. In this context, highlight the present challenges before crop diversification. How do emerging technologies provide an opportunity for crop diversification? (250 Words, 15 Marks)
- More than 30 years have passed since the reforms of 1991. Discuss the objectives of those reforms and what are the positive outcomes of them. (250 Words, 15 Marks)
Model Structure
1. Crop diversification as a remedy for a large number of issues is suggested by various economists. In this context, highlight the present challenges before crop diversification. How do emerging technologies provide an opportunity for crop diversification? (250 Words, 15 Marks)
Model Structure
Introduction:
- Crop diversification refers to the addition of new crops or cropping systems to agricultural production on a particular farm, considering the different returns from value-added crops with complementary marketing opportunities.or
- It refers to the crops, crop sequences and management techniques used on a particular agricultural field over a period of years.
Main Body:
Remedy for a large number of issues:
- Increases Farmers’ income: Enables farmers to gain access to national and international markets with new products, food and medicinal plants.
- Increases natural biodiversity and productivity: Strengthening the ability of the agroecosystem to respond to these stresses.
- Reduces the risk of total crop failure: As different crops will respond to climate scenarios in different ways.
- Ex- While the cold may affect one crop negatively, production in an alternative crop may increase.
- Food security: Ex- growing crops as well as rearing livestock in the same field.
- Manage price risk: not all products will suffer low market prices at the same time and increase the profitability of the farming community.
- Environmental conservation:
- Ex- the introduction of legume in the rice-wheat cropping system, which has the ability to fix atmospheric Nitrogen to help sustain soil fertility.
Challenges faced: (only 5-6 to be mentioned)
- Majority of the cropped area in the country is completely dependent on rainfall (around 52%).
- Sub-optimal and over-use of resources like land and water causes a negative impact on the environment and sustainability of agriculture.
- Inadequate supply of seeds and plants of improved cultivars.
- Fragmentation of land holdings is less favourable for the modernisation and mechanisation of agriculture.
- Poor basic infrastructure, like rural roads, power, transport, communications, etc.
- Inadequate post-harvest technologies and inadequate infrastructure for post-harvest handling of perishable horticultural produce.
- Very weak agro-based industry.
- Weak research – extension – farmer linkages.
- Inadequately trained human resources, together with persistent and large-scale illiteracy among farmers.
- A host of diseases and pests affect most crop plants.
- Poor database for horticultural crops.
- Decrease in investments in the agricultural sector over the years.
Role of emerging technologies in crop diversification:
- With the help of the IT revolution, farmers are directly connected with grocery customers (farm-to-fork model).
- leading to the cultivation of high-value perishable products (ex- Big Basket, BlinkIt startup platforms).
- Aquaponics and urban farming techniques of controlled environment cultivation help in crop diversification in order to meet the heavy urban demand for perishable items.
- Through financial inclusion and digitisation, small farmers and women self-help groups have been able to ensure crop diversification through credit supply.
- In arid areas, technologies like Urea Deep Placement (UDP), Poly-bag Nursery farming, etc., have been introduced by the Indo-Israel Agriculture Project.
- Soil health management assisted in facilitating the right fertiliser usage, developing organic farming and providing GIS-based thematic mapping for soil.
Way Forward (Steps Needed):
- Need to identify crops and varieties that may suit a range of environments and farmers’ preferences.
- Need for a shift in the perspective of skill development, with a focus on sustainable rural livelihoods.
- Research institutes should come with some other technological breakthroughs.
- Ex- for shifting production frontiers and raising efficiency in the use of inputs. Precision farming to raise the production and income of farmers substantially etc.
- Adequate attention needs to be given to improve the welfare of farmers and raise agricultural income.
- The government must promote crop diversification by purchasing crops produced other than wheat and rice at a Minimum Support Price.
Conclusion:
- Though crop diversification is considered a panacea for a large number of issues, the policy for this needs to be well crafted, taking interests of all stakeholders into account.
Additional information:
Government Policies And Strategies For Crop Diversification:
- Launching a Technology Mission for the Integrated Development of Horticulture in the Northeastern Region:
- The programme will establish effective linkages between research, production, extension, post-harvest management, processing, marketing and exports and bring about the rapid development of agriculture in the region.
- Implementing National Agriculture Insurance Scheme: The scheme will cover food crops, oilseeds, annual commercial and horticulture crops. Small and marginal farmers are eligible for 50 per cent subsidy under the Scheme.
- Operationalising Technology Mission on Cotton: The Technology Mission will have separate Mini-Missions on technology generation, product support and extension.
- Creation of Watershed Development Fund: At the National level for the development of Rainfed lands.
- Strengthening Agricultural Marketing: Greater attention to be paid to the development of a comprehensive, efficient and responsive marketing system for domestic marketing as well as exports by ensuring proper quality control and standardisation.
- Seed Crop Insurance: A pilot scheme on Seed Crop Insurance has been launched, which will cover the risk factor involved in the production of seeds.
2. Discuss the need to reform the public distribution system in order to fight the menace of hunger and malnutrition. (250 Words, 15 Marks)
Model Structure
Introduction:
- The public distribution system works in a multi-level process where the Centre procures food grains from farmers at MSP and then allocates them to states.
- State governments identify beneficiaries and deliver food grains to ration shops. Hence in this way, PDS is used as a tool to ensure the food security of people to eradicate hunger and malnutrition.
Main Body:
Why are reforms needed in PDS?
- Identification of beneficiaries: The targeted Public Distribution System is prone to inclusion and exclusion errors.
- A PDS expert group set up in 2009 reported, PDS suffers from around 60% error of exclusion and 25% inclusion of beneficiaries, which means that, poor are being classified as non-poor and vice versa.
- Leakage of food grains: PDS also suffers from leakages of food grains while they are being transported from state storehouses to Fair Price Shops (FPS).
- The Planning Commission had found 36% leakage of PDS rice and wheat at the all-India level.
- Black Marketing by FPS owners: Many times, good quality food grains are replaced with poor quality, cheap food grains by the FPS owners. The good quality grain is then sold in the open market.
- Narrow food basket: The Public distribution system includes only a few food grains, such as wheat and rice etc. In modern days, it is not sufficient to fulfil the nutritional demands of the body.
- Issues of migrants: Migrants, along with their families, are often excluded from the PDS system due to their movement to other places for work.
- Though the government has introduced ONORC, many states have not implemented this yet.
Hence, due to the above reasons:
- Child hunger as a problem persists in India, 37.9% of children under 5 years are stunted, and 20.8% are wasted
- The Global Nutrition Report 2020 stated that India is among 88 countries that are likely to miss global nutrition targets by 2025.
- In the 2020 Global Hunger Index, India ranks 94th out of the 107 countries, below neighbours Pakistan and Nepal.
Reforms needed to fight the menace of Malnutrition and Hunger:
- Food fortification: To enhance the nutritional level of the masses and fight the menace of hunger and malnutrition, bio-fortified foods need to be distributed through the PDS.
- Scrutiny to enhance transparency and accountability: Increased public participation is required to reform the PDS system. It can be achieved through social audits, participation of SHGs, NGOs, etc. to ensure the transparency and efficiency of the PDS system at the ground level. It will ensure the needy get their share of quality food grains to tackle hunger and malnutrition.
- Including migrant families in PDS: proper implementation of the ONORC scheme.
- Diversification of food items under PDS: The food basket of PDS can be enhanced by including more nutritious items like eggs, tofu etc. This will improve the micronutrient levels of people and reduce the prevalence of hidden hunger.
- Technology use: Use of end-to-end technology is required to prevent leakage of food grains and substitution of high-quality food grains by low-quality grains by FPS owners.
Some Successful PDS reforms in India:
- Issue of smart cards: In Haryana, data such as name, address, biometrics, poverty level and number of family members are recorded, which prevents counterfeiting.
- SMS tracking: Tamil Nadu uses SMS based monitoring by citizens so that they can send/receive SMS alerts during the dispatch and arrival of TPDS commodities. It prevents the leakage of grains.
- Online Citizen Grievance Solutions: The Chhattisgarh government publicises grievance redressal, such as a toll-free number for call centres to register complaints or suggestions to maintain accountability of the government and ensure transparency of grievance resolution.
- Real-time monitoring: Use of GPS technology is prevalent in Tamil Nadu, where movement of trucks carrying food grains from state depots to Fair Price shops can be easily monitored to prevent leakages.
Conclusion:
- The National Food Security Act, 2013, modified the TPDS programme from a welfare approach to a rights-based approach of social protection. Therefore, to provide the right-based social protection, it is required to reform the PDS system to eradicate the menace of malnutrition and hunger in India.
- Recommendations of the Shanta Kumar Committee.
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