Post Trip Reports

8/8/2019 Post Trip Reports

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Christina Nyhus

January 27, 2005

INTAG 602Post Trip Assignment- The Future of Indian Agriculture

The issues which face India for food production in the next 20 years can be broadly

categorized into three main areas: (1) international forces (biotechnology and its

regulation, intellectual property laws, the force and financial power of transnationalcorporations and their agendas), (2) environmental issues (water scarcity and drought,

pollution and urbanization, mono-cropping and soil health, herbicide and insecticide use

and runoff) and (3) infrastructural (food distribution, market access) all of which are

being exacerbated by population growth and increased production needs.

My impressions from the 3 week visit to south India lead me to believe that the future of

Indian agriculture resides very much in the hands of private companies and not in that of

the public. India has been one of the more protectionist countries in opening up theireconomy, and in being so has managed to protect their middle-class fairly effectively.

However more and more it seems that foreign interests are lodging into the agriculturalmarket, through biotechnology and agribusiness. Meanwhile public funding for

agricultural research continues to decline (both locally and internationally) and so the

agendas for future production are veering in the direction of private research funding. It

seems that this era of government decentralization and liberalization coupled withunregulated multi-national corporations entering the market will lead India into a few

decades of being the guinea pig for various new technologies and private enterprise. In

the end this will do nothing to further the lives of the small farmers, collectively, though afew, individually, will manage to benefit from these technologies in some small way.

As a spin off of this, production of staples will continue to grow despite current adequatesupplies, but infrastructure (a public good) will not improve in step and there will still be

storage and continued distribution problems. Production of legumes and other

nutritionally valuable crops will continue to decline as there is little economic return andhigh risks to farmers, with little research in the pipeline to improve its production. Long

term implications for the health of the poor, who cant afford meat or dairy, will manifest

itself as increased incidence of protein energy malnutrition, infant and child mortality.

High value crops like vegetables will continue to improve, and begin to be exported ingreater quantities. These nutritionally important foods will also miss the mouths of the

poorest.

Short term versus long term successes must be separated in looking at the future of Indian

agriculture. In the short term it seems likely that there is much to be gained among those

investing in agriculture in a land with a large labor supply, a hands-off government and adire need for improved technologies. In the long term, however, it remains to be seen

who will be the real beneficiaries of short term growth, and how much of that growth

can be sustained in the long term.


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Dana Terpening INTAG 602

January 27, 2005 Post trip assignment

Indian agriculture will continue to face the same bureaucratic problems it

currently faces, but will undergo substantial change in the next twenty years. India is a

largely untapped produce market for the worlds developed nations, which will affect itgreatly. However, the problem of feeding its growing population will persist long into

the future.

The speakers during the INTAG 602 trip emphasized that India has a food surplusand blamed a slow moving bureaucracy as a reason why millions of poor people are

starving. This problem will keep millions of poor people from food in the future. It takes

much effort to force governments into quick action and the Indian government will need

a lot of internal and external pressure to compel it to act. The government is trying tohelp its people, but much of the efforts appear to be on a state level. Many of the

subsidies discussed were state subsidies. The Indian national government must take

some of the directive because the disparities between states will only grow as the more

responsive and financially able states find ways to feed their citizens. The nationalgovernment needs to take a positive role and use its resources to better distribute the food

surplus.Even though India will continue to struggle to feed its owncitizens, it will

become more export oriented in the future. Foreign companies will continue to drive the

export growth. On this trip, we saw an example through Nilgiris link to Nestle

Corporation. This will create many changes in Indian agriculture. The farmers mustchange their practices to be compliant with international health and quality standards.

Contract farming and cooperatives will become even more popular as small farmers try to

grow produce for the foreign companies. Large farmers may eventually win, forcingsmall farmers to abandon their farms and work for the large farmers or find work in

another sector. This work may come in the supermarket sector; in wholesale plants,

distribution centers, or the supermarkets themselves. Indian agriculture will becomelarge scale oriented because of the export market and supermarkets. The small farmer

will not disappear, just as he has not in the United States, but the number will drop

significantly.With the growth of the export business, the next twenty years will see India

producing even greater quantities of agricultural produce. In theory, Indian agriculture

should be able to feed most of Indias citizens. In reality, however, India will not be able

to keep up with its skyrocketing population growth. If the population continues to risedramatically, India will have less land with which to produce food and agricultural land

will be degraded from overuse and pollution.

There are many issues that Indian agriculture must deal with in the next twentyyears, including a skyrocketing hungry population, foreign companies wanting export

produce, and a slow bureaucratic government. Indian agriculture will continue to

produce increased quantities of food for use domestically and worldwide. The Indiangovernment must take a strong role in distributing that food to its citizens and work to

create a healthy India with a stable population.


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Emily Hurtgen

Intag 602

Independent Study Abstract

Multi-cropping systems in Dryland India

Drylands are the fulcrum around which the Indian economy revolves. Despite the

impressive irrigation potential created over the years, India continues to depend on

drylands for meeting the ever growing challenge of production for the continuously

developing human and livestock population. Multi-cropping systems have been used by

farmers for centuries. There are several benefits of cropping systems; such as overall

crop production, reducing economic risks and protecting the fertility of the soil. Proper

management of farming systems is necessary to limit competition between crops for

water, nutrients, and sunlight. I will be focusing on the important issues about multi-

cropping systems in dryland India. I will look at the past progress, future problems and

prospects of dryland agriculture in India.

I will cover various intercropping systems in dryland agricultural, for example,

the intercropping of sunflower and pigeonpea, soybean and maize, pigeonpea and

groundnut, and coffee and pepper to name a few. Performance of cotton varieties in

dryland India is something I am also interested in researching. I will look at the

importance of water use efficiency in intercropping systems under dryland conditions.

Cropping systems are designed and managed to be productive, stable and

sustainable. Soil is the major resource upon which sustainable cropping depends. Soil

management is thus a key element in the management of cropping systems, both for

sustainability and productivity.


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INTAG 602: Indian agriculture in the next twenty years

Erin Peterson

Due to its vast and diverse farm land, its large numbers of people skilled in

agriculture, and its drive and vision for the future, I feel that India will prove to be a

major player in the world economy in the next twenty years. The most prominent change

I foresee is a shift from the small, 1-2 hectare farms in low-population villages to larger

land area, more mechanized, product-producing farms run by multiple people, either

within families or villages, but possibly extending beyond and hiring others if extra labor

is required.

There are several reasons why I take this view; and I focus on it because I

consider it to a be the focal indicator of almost all the other changes I saw occurring in

India. Supermarkets springing up, offering a concentrated source of necessities and

allowing the consumer to streamline his or her workload by only stopping at one or two

shops during routine errands, rather than more frequent visits to a local farmers market.

With food totaling approximately half of the household income, families may spend the

extra time to get cheap, high-quality produce at the markets, but the value of time over

money may become more important as incomes and job markets shifts, causing people to

desire the one-stop shopping.

Most farmers have very low production, making transportation, processing, and

storage of products difficult. Because the people do not have the capital to buy more land

and the equipment to deal with larger harvests, this currently poses a problem for rapid

advancement in these areas. However, with population growth, and its migration to

urban areas, food scarcity may become a problem if Indian farmers do not increase their

productive capabilities in addition to handling the products. I expect changes to be made


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due to increased pollution.

Trade liberalization will also influence the future of agriculture in India. As tradebarriers are reduced many sectors will have difficulty competing with their foreign

counterparts. In addition, mandates such as those imposed by the Agreement on

Agriculture restrict the governments ability to subsidize farmers. On the other hand,some sectors will benefit from increased demand for exports. Furthermore, trade disputes

such as the recent EU sugar case and the US prawn dispute will continue to disrupt

trading patterns.

Overcoming these obstacles will be difficult, but not impossible. Technological

advancements, biotechnology, and improved infrastructure will assist India in meeting

these challenges.

Katherine Skovira

[email protected] 27, 2005INTAG 602

Indian Agriculture: Implications in 20 Years

The main issues facing India today are daunting, including educational,

agricultural and political issues. Indias close neighbor, China, has a fast-growing

population and a booming industry not to mention that its overabundance of cheap

labor and politics between the two are losing coherence. Indias need for educating the

general public, and pulling up women to the same educational and occupational standards

and opportunities, continues to hinder its progression. As a developing country, there

are many issues that the Indian government must address.

Indias greatest need is to increase economic activity through reform of its

agricultural system. In the next 20 years, not only will Indias huge population require

even greater relief efforts for its starving poor, it will also compete with China for access

to fuel and commodity supplies as their huge populations seek ever higher standards of

living (Economist.com, Clash, 11/4/04). By this time one can hope for smoother

advocacy following the water and sanitation issues resulting from the tsunami of


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December 2004. The disastrous implications in the areas of sanitation, food and drinking

water supplies, and feasible employment in the agricultural south of India and the borders

on the Indian Ocean merely amplify problems requiring not only immediate efforts to

channel resources to the needy but also long-standing goals to better organize workers to

ensure productivity through education of farmers and collective gain to support

struggling members. The importance of education not only to farmers but also to the next

generation of people demands equal opportunity for education across gender lines. A big

issue today is the inability of women to gain an education equal to that of their husbands

simply due to marriage responsibilities. One of the greatest tragedies I heard about over

the trip was a young Indian woman who told me why her goal of gaining a PhD is

hindered by her duty to her parents to marry by the time she is 24 to ensure continuation

of her family line and allow her younger sisters to marry after her. By limiting such a

huge segment of the population from attaining their greatest potential and helping to

alleviate the problems within agriculture and the government as a whole, India is

preventing itself from positive development. I realize that I have laid out many issues

here, but I see this as a major obstruction to Indian development.

Keith Poe

IARD 602 Post trip assignments

1. Issues, challenges and future of Indian agriculture.

The largest issue for agriculture in India will be population growth. Already having a


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billion plus people, the population growth over the next generation will inevitably create

a greater strain on the overall economy, specifically the agriculture sector. Also, having

such a large percentage of the population living under the poverty line, it would seem

imperative to do something about this. A solution is to use better seed varieties which

would increase yields and generate more income for the farmer. One would almost need

to create another Green Revolution, with genetically modified seeds and better farming

techniques being a key player in the process. Despite any potential political fallout

regarding the use of these seeds, I think it is the only way for the greater efficiencies to be

reached. This may need a greater involvement by the government to create incentives

and a positive policy environment for private firms to do research and marketing of their

new products, but it will be a necessary step.

Farmer extension also needs to be a bigger priority. This could be either through

government offices or the public sector, but I think a major effort has to be made to

educate farmers with regards to the higher efficiencies needed if they are to survive

beyond basic subsistence levels.


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1/21/2005 IARD602

Future of Indian Agriculture

Kenya Konno

After 30 years the green revolution, agriculture in India almost achieved the self

sufficiency. In fact, I could see enough food in many street and markets in this trip.However, I also saw and anticipate some issues and challenges of Indian agriculture as

followings;

Health problem will be a big issue in Indian agriculture in near future. Water qualitywill be one issue. It is because people rely on wells to get drinking water in rural areas

but also having used considerable amount of chemical fertilizer and pesticides after thegreen revolution. In some area such as Rajasthan, people use water resource to dyeing

clothes with chemical stains. The water is limited but the population is increasing. The

water quality problems will become more and more serious. Pesticides residue may be

another issue. When we went to the farmers market in the trip, some farmers weretalking that they are using pesticides every day, even the day before harvest. More

introductions of BT crops with pest resistance or promotion of Integrated Pest

Management would be discussed as solutions.

Moreover, transportation of agricultural products will become a significant issue. Due

to the large area of the country and the diversity of the climate and geography, there areconsiderable concentrations of agricultural production in India. Also there are many

cities with larger populations than New York City and large amount of food, not only

staple food but also fresh vegetables and fruits, need to be distributed there. We visited asuper market such as Food Bazarr or retail market with well managed quality controlling

equipment or storages. However, there are usually no or few cool storages on stores and

farms now. The fresh food can be ruined fast because of the high temperature. When I

visited a rural village in Rajasthan, they went to buy vegetables and fruit by 10 kmwalking and 20 km bus ride, taking 2 full days to return. More equipment introduction

for quality management in food chains and the infrastructure building will be promoted in

the future.

Keri McGeehan

1/28/05


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To whom it may concern,

One of the most important details I learned throughout my stay in India, was that

agriculture is the means of livelihood for about two--thirds of the work force in the

country, and has always been Indias most important economic sector.

Because of Indias growing population and the countries need for self sufficiency

in food production many approaches had to take place. Such approaches were additional

land area had to be cultivated, new means of irrigation facilities, better seed varieties,

better faming techniques, water management, farmer education and plant protection.

The most memorable field trip while in India was to a government sponsored

market which provided price supports for farmers. These markets supplied transportation

for the farmers and their produce from their villages to the market place for selling in the

morning. The price was fixed as a whole sale price to eliminate the middle man

completely, which is the farmers greatest challenge for survival.

From pure observation I find urban India to be relying heavily on imports from

abroad, increasingly becoming aware of the conveniences of frozen and pre- packaged

foods in the international food bazaars. The domestic farmer will never be able to

compete with the quantity provided and price of the imported foods that now stock the

shelves. Most local farmers are being forced out of the agrarian society they were raised

in and into the urban industry in search of unskilled labor.

I find the essence of Indias future agricultural challenges to be a matter of forced

migration and the incentives that need to be placed to keep farmers in food production for

the survival of India.


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Krista Isaacs

India 602Changes in Agriculture

Agriculture is facing changes all over the world. Changes in trade policies, the

globalization of markets, water shortages, and ethical disputes over biotechnology are all

issues challenging agricultural development. During both 402 and 602 it was evident that

India is dealing with all of these issues. A few of the scheduled events in India made

these challenges more salient and real within the Indian context.

The primary challenge that India has and will continue to face is the problem of

water shortages. Water shortages in India are compounded by the young, growing

population and the need to produce enough food to feed the population. With over a

billion people and most of India located in the sub-tropic drylands, demands on limited

waters supplies can only increase. As was demonstrated at the model village and at

ICRISAT, water is managed carefully and systematically, but this might not be enough in

times of drought and increased demand. The value of water in India was even apparent

in the hotel in Hyderabad. There was a chart that listed the amount of water used during

morning ablutions and recommendations on how to reduce the amount of water used. In

addition to water shortages, Indian agriculture is changing subtly with the increased use

of biotech seeds.

Though the change is subtle and not always recognized, the introduction of

biotech seeds into Indian agriculture has changed production costs and social acceptance.

Of the farmers that do use biotech, less harmful pesticides and herbicides are used. In the

Andarsh model village, several small farmers reduced the use of sprays by nearly 75% on

Bt cotton. The acceptance of Bt cotton does not seem to be centered on its efficacy, but

rather how well it works. Whether this is a result of little knowledge of the science

behind Bt or indifference to the science, the acceptance by farmers will definitely change

agriculture production and open avenues for other such crops as it becomes more

widespread.

These are only two of the changes in agricultural production that are occurring in

India today. There are other issues, such as chain superstores and global markets, that


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will also continue to affect the changing face of agriculture in India, as well as other parts

of the world.

1. 27. 2005INTAG 602

Kyota Iizuka

INTAG 602 Post Trip Assignment 1

Indian agriculture has assumed a new aspect in the last decade. It isdistilled to three things. First, agricultural policy is becoming shift emphasis fromsupply side to demand side, which reflects a situation that Indian agriculture hasachieved self-sufficiency in food production, and distressed itself to excess stock

of food grains. Second, even Indian agriculture has no other choice to aware offoreign pressure because of unavoidable tendency to globalization in worldeconomy including WTO. Finally, increasing international concerns ofenvironmental issues that caused by development, in particular, deforestation,soil degradation, and water pollution, some changes have been occurring inprocurement of conventional inputs, such as irrigation water and chemicalfertilizers, which have sustained development of Indian agriculture.

As the largest population in the democratic nations and a country that 2 / 3of the population is engaged in agricultural sector, Indian agriculturaldevelopment is critical for securing employment, preventing a further widening ofthe regional gaps, and alleviating poverty, which may affect not only Indian

economy but also the society and politics in the future.

Linston W. TerryIARD 602 27 January 2005

India and Agriculture 2005 to 2025

Rice is life in India

Despite quantum leaps in technological advancement in the

Information Technology industry, India, at its core, remains primarily an

agricultural based society. Millions of Indians sustain themselves on the

crops they grow, mainly rice. India, only behind China, produces and

consumes more rice than any other nation in the world. Rice is life in India.

However, with a rising population, India may not have enough food, rice or

otherwise, to feed its growing population. If India is to confront this matter,


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India should address several issues presently to prevent a myriad of

problems from surfacing over the next two decades. These problems include

poor roads prohibiting trade and growth, undernourishment, rising

population, poor education, drought, flooding and water mismanagement,

land policy issues concerning inheritances, and pests.

For agriculture to progress, India must overcome challenges at the

federal level which include land policy issues concerning inheritances. In

India, land is, arguably, more important than rice. Currently, when a father

dies, his sons inherit equal share of the plot. This system will result in

increasingly smaller areas of farm land, making commercial farming

exceptionally difficult. The government must consider incentives for

subsistence farmers to consider alternatives. Other cultural norms that must

be overcome are related to preferences for food appearance. Fortified rice

may take on a color displeasing to Indians. Those responsible for agriculture

in India should consider how to change the attitudes of a nation, region, or

find ways to adapt technology to accommodate Indian preferences.

The future direction of agriculture for India will include exploration of

technologies that allows India to plan for and tackle the problems described

above. This technology will include the exploration of systems for rice

intensification (SRI), transgenic and biogenetic crops engineered to increase

fortification, yields, pest resistance, and drought tolerance. Currently, India is

the leader in biotech research and development. Institutes such as the

Directorate for Rice Research have Indias problems in mind, and have

committed themselves to groundbreaking technologies to enhance the way

we grow rice. Their commitment to the forward progression of rice is their


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commitment to the forward progression of a nation.

Future of Indian Agriculture in the next 20 years

The green revolution and improvement in agronomical practices allowed India to become

self-sufficient in food production for a population that was at a high risk of facing famine

and a potential social catastrophe. I believe that India development in competing

industries and the combine pressure of the internal and external factors discuss previously

will make India an importing country of food unless a second green revolution is push

through the continuous improvement of crops through traditional breeding and

biotechnology.

Agriculture is still the main stay for 680 millions of rural population in India. It

contributes 30% of the total income of the country employing 77% of the total work force

in the country. India represents a microcosm of the challenges facing developing

countries and fast growing economies as they transition from agricultural based to

industrialized-technological driven economies.

The Indian situation is particularly interest due to the immense pressure that huge

population growing at accelerated rates puts on natural resources. Agriculture in

particular is affected by these internal and external factors that will ultimately shaped

agricultural policies and practices. Indian agriculture will face the challenge of producing

more food on less arable land and resources at the same time increasing the nutritional

status of a large proportion of the population that lives under the poverty line were most

of nutrients are supply by staple crops such as rice which is nutritionally limited.

Another issue of importance is the inequalities face in particular by women and land-less

farmers who play a significant role in agriculture production, which limits them in terms


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to access to loans, inputs and opportunities to overcome poverty. Globalization and

liberation of markets are the main external challenges facing Indias farmers that must

become more competitive in order to face the challenges presented by China and other

emerging Asian economies, as exemplified to cotton industry which is subsidized in

order to make Indian cotton competitive.

Finally, the impact of agriculture in particular the production of rice is a major

contributor to the emission of greenhouse effect gases that will have to take into

consideration in order to reduce the negative effect on the environment.

Luke Felkey

The Future of Indian Agriculture

The future of Indian agriculture as seen from the bus window looked bright. In

the cities I noticed burgeoning populations. I was astounded by the amount of food andwater that are required to feed these people. If I get the chance to go back I will examine

more the lands immediately surrounding the cities because this land must be more

productive that any other in the country because of the demands placed on them by thesebooming cities.

India, because of its developing transport and linkages has a great opportunity in

its expanse over different climatic zones. While some countries in their entirety couldface drought and thus famine India can hedge against these problems. However, I

noticed great social inequality and I would suspect that if there was a major crisis in the

South, that the North would supply its surplus production.

Two other great movements in India will, I believe, greatly increase the

productive capabilities and equity of the Indian economy. Primarily, we saw in Goa a

movement toward government subsidization of the fishing industry. There were greatimprovements in the lives of these people. Because of the government funding they were

maintaining the traditional family style fishing where father, son, and grandson worked

side by side. I have questions to how long this life style can continue without thesefarmers looking to add value to their products. Also, we saw the government in action in

conjunction with ICRISAT at Kathopally watershed. I was amazed by the goals that they

had to restore the water table. Although there were benefits mostly to those who lived inthe proximity of the river, it was apparent that the village would benefit as the water table


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to control water movement between Indian states. Farmer education, development of

water management technologies and government policies will play an essential role in

overcoming the limitation of this resource.Even though food production is sufficient nowadays to cover the minimum feeding

requirements of Indian population, distribution is a major problem. The food is produced

but it does not reach the poorest people due to both infrastructure limitations andeconomic reasons. Approximately 200 million people are under the poverty line and do

not own land, so feeding them is a responsibility that the government has to take until

economic growth and social policies can make a difference for the livelihood of thosepeople.

In general, India has a well developed technology sector with important research

capacities and diverse natural resources. It has reached the goal of being a self-sufficient

food producing country, so now it needs to improve other aspects. Infrastructure,particularly road systems, has to be developed to assure better communication and

distribution of food. Water management systems should be implemented to avoid the

dependency on rainfall seasonality and make arid regions more productive and efficient

on agriculture. Extension work and social policies are responsibilities that thegovernment has to assume to help farmers increase their income and improve their living

conditions. We observed good examples of these initiatives during the trip, but effortsshould continue and multiply on that direction to be able to improve the livelihood of a

very large Indian population that will keep growing in the near future.

As a social scientist, this question is difficult for me to answer. I cannot fully

discuss agricultural scientific advancement in terms of genetic modification, etc. because

that is outside the scope of my studies. What I can say though is this: with globalization

and India's rapid economic growth, changes in technology and farming will occur;

perhaps crop yields will be higher and losses to pests lower. Mechanization seems

inevitable; tractors and combines will replace human labor in order to keep pace with

high crop yields. However, the counterpoint to farming advancement is India's large and

still growing population. If technological advancement means less human labor is

required, where will new generations of people seek employment if not on the farm?

I am not writing this to implore the people of India to hinder mechanization. I am

also in no way suggesting that the people who worked on farms should move to urban

areas like Bombay for employment. I believe that mechanization in an India like today's

India will either not occur or leave millions unemployed. India is an amazing country

with a strange dichotomy. The upper echelons of Indian society received the best

education in India (and the USA) and the lowest echelons are in dire poverty and receive

little (if any) education.


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The Indian central government needs to begin to provide a public education

system that gives the lower classes enough education that they can work higher skilled

jobs. Or, perhaps zero population growth is the answer. However, zero population

growth has little chance of occurring without a better public education system. Some

might argue that the central government does provide a free education system currently

and despite this system, a dichotomy exists. As a westerner, I have read many articles on

the state of the public education system in India. And the 602 trip confirms what I read,

often times children do not attend schools and even more often the teachers either do not

show-up or do not teach. The public education system in its current state is "education"

in name only.

I write about population and education because, as stated before, I am a social

scientist. I am also convinced that in terms of changes in Indian agriculture that the

hard science aspects cannot be examined without looking at the social science

aspects: population growth, education, and employment. All of these aspects and the

future of India are tied together.

Patricia JeonIARD-602

January 27, 2005

Indian Agriculture in the Next 20 Years

Currently, many of Indias publicized advancements are in the technology sector,

aiming to provide high quality labor at low costs for firms in other countries looking to

outsource labor. This has been the driving force behind much foreign investment and

interest within India. However, not all Indians have reaped the benefits of such

advancements. On the 602 trip, many of us were shocked at the stark poverty facing

many of Indias citizens. Therefore, the main force behind development needs to be

through improving its agricultural sector and working with partner organizations to make

sure that those advancements are recognized by the global market.

Within any organization, marketing and advertising are integral to the success of

its products and higher profits. In the same way, the Indian government and NGOs need

to begin major marketing for the sectors of its agricultural economy that need to be


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improved. At the same time, the government needs to give incentives for participation,

such as partial subsidies given to the fishermen. These two things must be done together,

not neglecting one or the other. During our trip, we saw a quick video on the unique

background of Indian coffee. A similar campaign on a larger scale will hopefully

increase the demand for coffee in the global market, therefore increasing prices and

incomes of the coffee producers.

Moving beyond the global market scheme, an integral part of Indian agriculture in

the next 20 years will be in its extension efforts. In the past, the public sector had

concentrated in extension efforts, but the future of extension depends more on NGOs

and private sector. More importantly though, the partnerships between these sectors will

be necessary to make sure that all people benefit from extension efforts. For example,

while the private sector is great at finding efficient and cost-efficient solutions, it has a

difficult time spreading many of its resources and benefits to all recipients. Therefore, by

combining efforts with NGOs and the public sector, the best possible solution will

become available so that Indias agricultural sector will experience more distributed

growth.

The Sleeping Giant of Indian Agriculture

Pete Shelton

Current issues related to agricultural development in India are as complex anddiverse as the country itself. To its credit, the country boasts a great variety of

agroecological zones for producing temperate, tropical, arid and semi-arid crops. Thus,

Indian farmers today produce ample quantities of cereals in certain regions whileproducing a wide array of tropical fruits and vegetables in other regions. Yet the benefits

of this net increase in agricultural production are not distributed evenly across all sectors

of society. Rather, many of the economic gains generated by the Green Revolution wereenjoyed by only those farmers having access to irrigated fields as well as the ability to

purchase costly inputs such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

The overall effects of the Indian governments policies aimed at increasing

agricultural production above all else continue to create problems for rural development.In spite of Indias status as a self-sufficient grain producer for the past thirty years, the

number of hungry and malnourished persons continues to grow. Meanwhile, income

levels among the countrys rural population, more than 70% of whom rely on agriculturefor employment, also continue to decline and absolute poverty is on the rise.

At least two other important factors are worth mention when considering the

future of Indian agriculture: environmental degradation and population growth. Atpresent, a large portion of Indias arable lands are in degraded condition or in danger of


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becoming so in the near future. Meanwhile, many of the countrys major water tables

that helped fuel gains in production during the Green Revolution are falling at faster rates

than can be replenished. Moreover, the food demands of a rapidly expanding populationthat currently stands at more than a billion people force the issue of seeking out new ways

to produce more food on ever smaller plots of land. Given the loss of productive

croplands to environmental degradation and poor natural resource management, thechallenge of feeding the country becomes harder still.

Agricultural extension and rural development must play a key role in overcoming

the multiple and interlocking set of barriers that prevents a large percentage of Indiassons and daughters from attaining adequate levels of economic and nutritional well being.

To date, agricultural extension has focused too much time and resources on increasing

overall levels of food production while largely ignoring concomitant issues such as

raising farmer incomes and increasing access to basic services, education and health care.Public extension seems to be undergoing several important changes as well, partnering up

with private sector extension agencies and NGOs in an effort to boost the dissemination

of new technologies and information to rural farmers.

Yet if agricultural extension in India is to fill in gaping development holes in thewake of the Green Revolution, particularly with respect to meeting the needs of resource

poor farmers in rural areas, it must go beyond technology dissemination and toward amore integrated approach to agricultural and rural development. Indeed, the rhetoric

behind many up-and-coming programs acknowledges the need to look beyond such

blueprint solutions to the complex, diverse, risk-prone environments with which many of

the countrys poor are currently faced. Yet government bureaucracies with highlycentralized mechanisms for planning continue to play a major role in determining how

many development projects are managed on the ground.

In conclusion, India has many resources at its disposal for overcoming many ofthe countrys biggest hurdles on the road to development. First and foremost, the country

is no longer asking for development charity, not even in the aftermath of the recent

devastation caused by the tsunami. Secondly, the country also wields a highly educatedand well-trained workforce, particularly in the area of information technology (IT). In

the agricultural sector, India anxiously awaits the coming biotechnology revolution,

which holds great promise for further increasing food production while controlling large-scale pest problems via transgenic crops such as Bt cotton and wheat. Indeed, in many

ways Indian agriculture seems poised to leapfrog ahead of other nations, much like it has

done in the IT sector, with the help of its large labor force, technological capabilities, and

expanding economy. Unfortunately, however, social inequality is likely to worsen beforeimproving if the present course of its development agenda is maintained.

Intag 602 Trip Assignments.

Name: Salomey Yeboah 27/01/05

A paper on the issues, challenges and future directions I see for Indian agriculture

in the next 20 years.

Agriculture plays a vital role both as an infrastructure and development component in


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generating and sustaining a higher national income in India. Out of a national income of

about Rs38, 921 crores in 1972-73 as much as Rs 17,500 crores or about 44.9% is

contributed by agriculture and allied sectors. It is estimated that about 50% of theagricultural produce is available as marketable surplus. In the field of exports, the

agricultural sector accounts for about 50% of the total value.

The introduction of Safal fruit and vegetables Auction market for ensuring stable,remunerative prices for farmers to me is a great stride that India has made. This is

because the market has introduced transparent, efficient and computerized marketing of

horticultural produce for the first time in India.In addition, the introduction of the farmers market (Rythu Bazaar) where both the

producer and consumer benefit; farmers are able to bring their produce, sell directly to

the consumers and realize better profits because the market operations are free from

middlemen. The government of India provides or releases money for building all thebasic infrastructures like shops, electricity, storage facilities etc.

Another thing of importance is Indias coffee production where it accounts for about

4.5% of the world coffee production and provides employment to 0.6 million people.

Tata coffee by growing coffee on its own estates, processing the beans, exporting greencoffee and retailing coffee under its own brands in domestic market is a great

achievement.The fact that human labor is resorted to rather than the use of machines on the coffee

plantations is good and a positive thing which should be continued considering the high

population of India. This will go a long way to reduce the level of unemployment in the

country. Women who are mostly vulnerable will have access to jobs to be able toadequately cater their families.

In the area of rice production, India is also making great strides. I was personally

impressed about the rice plantation farm ICRISAT has established and its closecollaboration with the local people in its research activities; the way local knowledge was

mixed with scientific knowledge to me will go a long way to enhance Indias Agriculture.

The reason why I am saying this is that many research results by agricultural extensionagents have failed in many countries because the local farmer was not made part of the

research process, hence the failure.

From the above issues, I can see a bright future for Indian Agriculture.However, there are many challenges that lie ahead. The first is the issue of sustainability.

For how long can the government of India continue to provide monies to keep the

concept of farmers market moving? Can the government continue to provide vehicles to

these rural communities on a regular basis? Where the government relents in its effortand the private sector takes over, can the poor rural farmer pay for the services of the

private investors?

What mechanisms have been put in place to ensure the maintenance of the facilities thegovernment has already put in place?

These are very pertinent issues which need to be critically examined to ensure the

sustainability of these wonderful agricultural programs being carried out in India.At the Tata coffee research institute, it was made known to us that farmers are provided

coffee seeds free of charge to plant. Is this not going to create a dependency syndrome

among the farmers?

Was there a needs assessment conducted to determine the levels of poverty among the


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farmers before giving out the seeds?

Sarah Davidson

IARD 402

Post Trip Assignment

The Future of Indian Agriculture

The movement of rural populations into the already congested and overpopulated

cities will likely have a dramatic effect on agriculture in India. In the short- term I would

anticipate labor shortages for carrying the labor load of the current agricultural systems.

According to the director of ICRISAT, this is likely to be followed by mass

consolidations of farms and an increase in mechanization.

As people move to cities in search of urban employment, most people will not be

involved in producing the food that they eat, opening up a great potential for the role of

post harvest food processing and fortification. With the populations concentrated in

cities, distribution issues will be less of a concern than they currently are. Thus,

strategies to improve crops such as the case of Golden Rice, will be less relevant since

the whole point of Golden Rice is to provide a means of growing a vitamin A source

food. In a non-rural setting there are simpler strategies, such as post harvest fortification,

that will be more effective.

The numbers of "landless poor" I would predict to skyrocket since the population

is still growing exponentially and, as discussed above, an urban migration is anticipated.

This will mean that more people will be spending more of their income on food, since

they will not be producing it themselves. This could have an effect on the market prices.

I expect to see a lot of transgenic crops being planted in India in the five or so

years. ICRISAT has several pest resistant pulses in field testing, and transgenic eggplant

is expected to be commercially available with in the next year or so. It is also likely that

transgenic rice will be commercialized in the near future. With a move toward large

consolidated farms, there will likely be less concern over how small farmers can manage

the costs of transgenic seeds, and on the other hand, the introduction of expensive

transgenic seed, may contribute negatively to the squeezing out of small farmers and


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large farm consolidation.

I do hope that with the urban migration, more organization will have the foresight

to set up employment cooperatives such as that of Liijat.

Issues, Challenges and Future directions of Indian Agriculture

As we learned in the lectures in fall semester, India has experienced rapid

growth in agricultural production mainly caused by improvement of yield due to thetechnological innovation known as Green Revolution. However, the intensive use of

chemical fertilizer, pesticides and irrigation water has degraded the natural resources and

environment and Indians need to figure out alternative way of farming for sustainable

development of agricultural industry. In addition, India is facing the highest populationgrowth rate in the world and it is necessary for Indian economy not only to sustain their

agricultural production but also expand it to feed the whole nation and create enough job

opportunity for increasing population.

As far as I observed during the field trip, Indian government places focuses andtheir efforts on such issues. We visited several projects such as SAFRI Auction Market,

TATA coffee plantation, Kothapally Watershed, research institutions including ICRISATand DRR and we witnessed the effort of both from government and non-government

sides to get Indian agriculture moving. Kothapally Watershed is a good example of

government effort to conserve the natural resources for more sustainable farming. Small-

scale farmers in agricultural cooperatives are targeted in the SAFRI Auction Market andRythu Bazaar in order to improve their access to markets, eradicating middlemen to

redress market failure so that market mechanisms can fully function. ICRISAT and DRR

have the systematic extension network with the collaboration with government extensionoffices, Universities and local farmers organizations. These government attempts seem

working effectively and efficiently.However, the circumstance surrounding Indian Agriculture has been changing

rapidly. Rapid movement of trade liberalization force named globalization is one of the

examples. The price of some agricultural produce such as coffee is declining, and famers

are struggling to figure out the way for survival. This is a big challenge and the

collaborative efforts by government and non-governmental sectors should be madeespecially in marketing, development of value adding such as food processing and R&D

in new agricultural technology. Research institutions, agribusiness corporations and

Universities can play significant role in this regard. Yet, government intervention andfarmers effort are also necessary to enhance the social equity in the process of

agricultural development because equal distribution of the growth is also a vital part of

real development. Since Indian agricultural sector try to do that, I think it could besuccessful in the future if they could make some achievement in each effort.

Vanessa Ballenas

INTAG 602 post trip assignment

India is in the midst of developing agriculturally, economically and


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technologically. With the help and influence of other countries around the world India is

catching up. However despite all their effort there are a number of challenges that are just

recently being assessed since they have been proven to be crucial to agricultural success.

Water, a molecule that is essential to the survival of all life, particularly

agriculture is a compound that is in short supply in the arid subcontinent of India. Thereare only a few select months during the year that India gets delivered with steady

precipitation. In the past a significant amount of water was lost because no one at the

time had devised a way to preserve it for the dry months. As a result agriculture suffered.

Due to the minimal amount of water, farmers were forced to have monocultures, which

made their successful croplands more susceptible to disease and agricultural loss. Since

diversity in crops has been limited, people have been forced to consume what has been

available, even though these crops may not have contained the nutrients needed to ensure

ones health.

At this point in time techniques have been devised and implemented in order to

slowly alleviate this problem. In rural areas, watersheds (with the help of sedimentation)

have been established to capture rain during the wet season, so it can be stored and

distributed to the croplands during the dry season. Certain plants have been found to

replenish the soil with nutrients while needing very little water. These plants are

strategically placed into the ground as a preparation to the planting of the croplands. As a

result of this system, not only are farmers more successful overall, but they are also able

to plant more than one type of flora at a time.

Better vegetation has in turn had a positive effect on Indian livestock. In India,people rely on cows and water buffalo for their dairy products. However, the collection of

milk has a direct relationship with the grass they graze upon. When necessary vegetation

is limited, the volume of milk produced decreases considerably. This results in less

money for farmers who sell the milk and less availability of this essential product to the

public.

Besides water, biotechnology is another issue within agriculture. India uses

biotechnology to prevent crop losses and to decrease the use of pesticides. However,

despite some of the successes that have come along with technology, there have been a

number of setbacks. One current concern is the increased resistance of pests to genetic

modified plants. Initially GMOs worked ideally until pests became resistant to the

specialized gene. In order to combat this unfortunate situation scientists are developing

other practices concerning genetically modified plants, such as using more than one gene

thereby making it more difficult for pests to become resistant. Another aspect being

developed is the system of integrated pest management. These new developments provide


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hope for success in agriculture in the near future.

In conclusion, new techniques and technology have helped India considerably and

will continue to do so in the future.

Documents

Post Trip Reports