Problem with focusing only on agricultural yield

Source: The post problem with focusing only on agricultural yield has been created, based on the article “‘Yield’ can’t be the sole indicator for agriculture” published in “The Hindu” on 16th October 2024

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 3-Indian Agriculture

Context: The article argues that India’s focus on maximizing agricultural yield (kg/hectare) is outdated. While it helped secure food supply, it now harms nutrition, biodiversity, and long-term sustainability. It suggests shifting to indicators that measure nutrition, water efficiency, biodiversity, and overall farm resilience.

What is the problem with focusing only on agricultural yield?

1. Scarcity of Inputs: Essential inputs like water, plant nutrition, and labor are becoming scarce, making yield maximization less sustainable.
2. Nutritional Deficiency: High-yield varieties of rice and wheat have reduced micronutrient content. Zinc levels in rice dropped by 33%, and in wheat by 30%. Iron levels in rice and wheat decreased by 27% and 19%, respectively.
3. Malnutrition: This lack of nutrition contributes to widespread malnutrition, with one-third of Indian children under five stunted and two-thirds anaemic.
4. Farmer Income: Maximizing yield does not always increase farmers’ incomes effectively, as the cost of additional inputs like fertilizers can outweigh the benefits
5. Biodiversity Loss: India has lost about 1,04,000 varieties of rice since the Green Revolution, reducing agricultural resilience.
6. Monoculture Focus: The area under millets has reduced by 10 million hectares, while rice and wheat have expanded by 13 and 21 million hectares.

For detailed information on Improving Agriculture Yield in India read this article here

What alternative indicators should be considered?

1. Nutritional output per hectare: Focus on the nutritional value of the crops produced.
2. Soil health: Include metrics like soil organic carbon.
3. Water-use efficiency: Use technology to provide farmers with real-time data for better water management.
4. Biodiversity: Assess not just crop diversity at the farm level but also regional diversity and economic resilience through indicators like the ‘Landscape Diversity Score’.

What are the benefits of these new indicators?

1. These indicators aim to ensure that agriculture contributes to nutritional security, conserves natural resources, and enhances farmer profitability through sustainable practices.
2. Economic Resilience: Intercropping practices in Andhra Pradesh have shown to provide stable income and increase profitability, demonstrating the benefits of diverse and resilient farming methods.
3. Resource Efficiency: Water-use efficiency indicators help conserve resources. The ‘Saagu Baagu’ project in Telangana shows how AI can improve irrigation and crop management.

Question for practice:

Discuss how shifting from focusing solely on agricultural yield to alternative indicators can improve nutrition, biodiversity, and sustainability in India.