{"id":56387,"date":"2020-03-02T11:24:59","date_gmt":"2020-03-02T05:54:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogadmin.forumias.com\/?page_id=56387"},"modified":"2020-03-02T11:25:03","modified_gmt":"2020-03-02T05:55:03","slug":"answered-increased-investment-in-agriculture-research-is-an-absolute-need-of-the-hour-examine","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/answered-increased-investment-in-agriculture-research-is-an-absolute-need-of-the-hour-examine\/","title":{"rendered":"[Answered] Increased investment in agriculture research is an absolute need of the hour. Examine."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n Demand of the question<\/strong>\n Introduction.\n <\/strong>Contextual introduction.\n Body.\n <\/strong>Discuss the need for investment in agriculture\n research.\n Conclusion.\n <\/strong>Way forward.\n <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Agriculture and allied sectors account for\napproximately 14% of India\u2019s GDP, and 50% of its entire workforce. Indian\nagriculture has transformed significantly over the last few decades. The green\nrevolution was a major technological breakthrough which created a lasting\nimpact on Indian agriculture. However, when it comes to investments on Research\n& Development (R&D) Infrastructure and Technology implementation, a lot\nmore needs to be done. India\u2019s public investment in R&D as a fraction\nof GDP has remained stagnant over the last two decades at around 0.6% to 0.7%\nof GDP. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Need\nof investment in agriculture research:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Food security: <\/strong>The United Nations estimates India\u2019s population (1.39 billion\nnow) to overtake China\u2019s by 2027. This will pressure the country\u2019s economy,\nfood security and agriculture. Such challenges need to be addressed to feed the\nlargest population in the world.A\nSecond Green\/Evergreen Revolution is urgently needed to raise the growth rate\nof agricultural GDP. An investment in R&D would\nhelp create more seeds and increase productivity. <\/li>
  2. Climate Change: <\/strong>Use of biotechnology in agriculture can reduce\nvulnerability of crops to environmental impact and over dependence on chemical\nfertilisers to improve yield. Off late, technologies with respect to\nbio-formulations have been found effective against soil borne pathogens to\nmaintain the productive capacity of agro-ecosystems. R&D is needed for\nin-house field research and process development for environment-friendly\nagricultural practices and for educating farmers on land use patterns. <\/li>
  3. Farmer distress: <\/strong>With ever-increasing supply-side constraints, the role of\nR&D has become increasingly important with the potential to offer long-term\nsolutions for Indian agriculture. Farmers\u2019 access to\nthe latest research\ncan help in overcoming issues such as seed problems, pest and disease problems,\ncrop sustainability, climate change, irrigation problems, soil erosion\netc. To fulfil its objective of doubling farm incomes by 2022, the govt\nmust hike R&D spend and facilitate private investments.<\/li>
  4. Efficient Water Management: <\/strong>Water is indispensable for all agricultural\nactivities. The unpredictable monsoon rains coupled with increasing demand for\nfood production has made smart irrigation imperative for Indian agriculture.\nArea-specific R&D on irrigation technologies can play an important role in\nthis regard. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Way\nforward: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Increasing investment in R&D: <\/strong>Investment in agricultural research and education\nshould be raised to provide 2% of the GDP to R&D in agriculture and allied\nsector to facilitate the development of basic and strategic research.<\/li>
    2. Genetic enhancement of crops: <\/strong>In the field of genetic enhancement,\npremier institutions should be identified where breeding of specific crops\nshould be carried out. Both molecular and transgenic technologies need to be\ngiven equal and high importance.<\/li>
    3. Crop-potential mapping:<\/strong> Development of district-wise crop-potential map\nis needed to focus research on crop improvement and production management\nwithin the potential region for each crop. Block level agro-climatic, land use\nand socio-economic data collection and analysis should be carried out. <\/li>
    4. Climate tolerant and rainfed crops:<\/strong> Focused research on climate tolerant and\nrainfed crops of rice, wheat is needed. Under it biofertilizer, zero-tillage\nand organic nutrient based crop improvement research has to be initiated as\npriority.<\/li>
    5. Strengthening regional research: <\/strong>Bio-Safety Testing and Research at national and\nregional level be strengthened and facilities is an absolute necessity. India\nshould focus on high-quality\nproduct development research with commercialization prospects to quickly and\nsafely reach the farmers.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      R&D generates new technologies and\npasses them to farmers. In the coming years, agricultural technology will play\na vital role in addressing their concerns related to conservation and\nmanagement of rural resources. In spite of successful R&D initiatives\naround crop cultivation and protection and huge investments from the private\nsector, a majority of farmers in India have not been able to get optimum yield\nin the absence of expert scientific advice. The need of the hour is to bridge\nthe gap between research and practice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Demand of the question Introduction. Contextual introduction. Body. Discuss the need for investment in agriculture research. Conclusion. Way forward. Agriculture and allied sectors account for approximately 14% of India\u2019s GDP, and 50% of its entire workforce. Indian agriculture has transformed significantly over the last few decades. The green revolution was a major technological breakthrough which… Continue reading [Answered] Increased investment in agriculture research is an absolute need of the hour. Examine.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-56387","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/56387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56387"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/56387\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}