‘Move out, move up approach could ease India’s farm crisis’

‘Move out, move up approach could ease India’s farm crisis’

Context

View of the head of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) ahead of release of annual global food policy report

Views

Indian must adopt policies that facilitate sections of farmers to ‘move out’ of rural areas to urban areas and the remaining ones to ‘move up’ in the farming sector to tackle the current agrarian crisis

• Move out, move up approach: For India, some farmers have to move to cities and urban centres. Those who stay behind will be able to increase the holding and move to producing high value food that will create new opportunities. That is the ‘move out, move up’ approach
• Non-farm opportunities in rural areas must also increase if farmers have to come out of poverty. Higher the non-farm income, the lower the poverty rate
• Non-farm opportunities: food processing, input supplies, trade and marketing, making construction materials for urban centres etc. are non-farm opportunities that are possible in rural areas, where farmers can work part-time or seasonally
• Inadequate linkages: India has been investing in rural and urban projects separately, but investment in the linkage between urban and rural economy is inadequate
• Shift of demand: As urban people get prosperous they will demand better, more nutritious food in the future. This would encourage agriculture that is now grain focused, to shift to vegetables, fruits, good dairy products and meat
• More investment in R&D: Indian agriculture scientists must work hard to develop and own new technologies. The country should own them rather than multinationals, so that Indian farmers will benefit. India should invest more in this research
• Anti-globalism could be detrimental to food security and countries such as India and China must continue to argue for “free and fair trade” and the free movement of people around the world