The great food crisis looming ahead-Is the world prepared to face it

Beating a horse beyond its limit of tolerance can obviously lead its incapacitation eventually. This seems to be true with the agricultural land humanity depends on so heavily to coax it to produce more and more food for meeting its survival needs of food. This stark reality has been highlighted by a group of scientists in the US to warn the world that global security is already jeopardized though not beyond redemption if adequate measures are taken to restore soil fertility through appropriate remedial action. Green revolution was applauded as the arrival of a panacea for solving food problems faced by many countries and provided a means to increase food production by boosting land productivity. But it is now realized that the very same technological break through has already caused heavy damage to the soil health by depleting the nutrients at a rate beyond the sustainable level. Though the report is alarming it does promise a way out to which the world will have to listen. Here is the take on this crucial issue.  

"The soil fertility of the world may soon reach the point of jeopardizing global food security. A group of the country's top environmental scientists has authored a review paper about the tantamount importance of correcting the imbalance of soil depletion and replenishment.
Soil degradation and erosion – combined with damage to agricultural land from urbanization, as well as the expanding global population – are among the century's most urgent concerns for the international community, according to the researchers. The "green revolution," which started in the late 1960s, considerably improved food production through concentrated farming that utilized agro-chemicals. The researchers however said that those principles and techniques would not be able to match the needs of the increasing population today — unless greater attention is given to soil fertility and soil preservation. In a review of global soil fertility published in the journal Science, the research team said the most industrious farmland is a result of the domestication of wild soils produced by advance farming exercises. The challenge for these domesticated soils is preserving the quality of their wild inherited stock. From 1970 to 2000, an area of agricultural plot the size of Denmark was developed and urbanized. In the next 20 years, an agricultural area the size of Mongolia – about 600,000 square miles – will be enveloped by city modernization, the scientists wrote. Dr. Ronald Amundson – the study's lead author and a professor of environmental science, policy and management at the University of California, Berkeley – added that agricultural methods through the years have triggered the enhanced loss of soil through nutrient removal and erosion. This is one of the crucial game-changers for the extended, maintainable production of the soil — the living top layer of Earth. One of the major challenges of future food security is maintaining the supply of artificial soil fertilizers — specifically potassium and phosphorus, which have to be extracted from reserves held in minerals and rocks."

It is true that agricultural land suffers not only qualitatively but also quantitatively and the major reason for quantitative loss is the high rate ofurbanization taking place around the world sacrificing the agricultural land in the name of development. Alarmingly this frenetic pace of urbanization does not seem to be slowing down with the real possibility that available arable land left over might not be sufficient to provide enough food for every body. Added to this the modern agriculture plus faster depletion of natural forests are causing a great damage to the environment by releasing the vast storage of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere accelerating the global warming  effect with unimaginable consequences. It is mind boggling that the top 10 feet of soil in earth holds about 2300 gigatons ( 1 gigaton= i billion ton) of carbon and humans have already lost about 50-70 gigatons through out its history because of agriculture.Most of this loss came from agricultural practices during the last 200 years. Some of the solutions suggested include changing the way agri operations are carried out without tilling and manufacturing nitrogenous fertilizers like urea without burning fossil fuels. Recovery of nutrients like phosphates and potash from sludges through appropriate technological means may also be necessary to overcome the monopolistic hold of Morocco and China where phosphate mining provides bulk of the world supply and greater afforestation. 

  

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

GREATER FARM MECHANIZATION-IS IT FEASIBLE IN INDIA?

Why is that in India agriculture is still based mostly on manual operations while mechanization of these activities could have raised agriculture productivity to much higher levels? Though there are no simple answers to this complex question, one of the main reasons is the fragmented nature of the land holdings that does not make mechanization a viable option to the farmers. Added to this is the extreme poverty under which Indian farmers live making it difficult to invest in mechanical gadgetry. If this is so how can an organization like CII push for greater mechanization in the farmlands of the country? How can such an exalted ideal be achieved given the farming environment in the country? Agro-industries Corporations in various states were set up precisely for the purpose of helping the farmers but these public sector bodies have done precious little either in agriculture or in agri-processing area as reflected by their sordid performance records!

"The Confederation of Indian Industry, a premier Industry body has recommended intensification of agricultural activity through increased farm mechanization, given limited availability of land and imperative for food security in India. According to the CII press release, it is time to move the policy from 'Rupees per Kilo' to 'Rupees per Acre'. The policy framework should encourage farmers to move towards greater use of farm equipment which will lead to higher agricultural productivity and thus higher farm incomes and crop yields. CII proposes an action agenda covering policy framework, availability of farming machinery and equipment, and financial measures for promoting farm mechanization. To begin with, CII recommends that a joint government and private sector working group be established to suggest a roadmap. A National Mission on Farm Mechanization should undertake activities in an intensive manner, suggests CII. According to CII, availability of farm implements and machinery would hinge on maintaining a stock of such equipment at state agro corporations or agri universities for deployment on farms when needed. This could be done on a hire-purchase or lease basis so that small and medium farmers as well as large farms could access them as required. CII suggests a range of measures such as accelerated depreciation, tax exemptions, zero duties, etc to incentivize purchase of machinery."Identification of farm mechanization needs and development of need based farm implements are of prime importance" stated Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Chairman, CII National Council on Agriculture".

"Access to technology would also be a point to consider, says the CII press release. Technology transfer from foreign firms could be promoted through joint ventures. R&D facilities could also be established, recommends CII, while learning for farmers could be carried out through tailored distance programs leveraging IT and telecom. The participation of private industry in farm mechanization would be critical, feels CII. Dedicated extension programs in public-private partnership mode would be needed. Suitable solutions taking into account crop types, seasons, and soil types must be developed which would be facilitated through industry. Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII, said, "While selective mechanization in our country has improved agricultural conditions in certain parts of the country, it is still a bottom of the pyramid story and it will remain so unless concrete measures are taken to propel farmers towards adoption of efficient farm mechanization practices. Setting up of a farm mechanization mission is thus the need of the hour." Despite significant improvements in crop productivity during the Green Revolution, yields in India have nearly stagnated for two decades and are around 35-50% below international averages. Yield differences are also apparent across states, pointed out the CII press release. Experts estimate that by 2025, agriculture productivity should increase by 100% to sustain the projected population of 1.363 billion. According to CII, this can only be achieved through intensifying agriculture which is aided by mechanization inputs. However, huge gaps exist in the levels of mechanization in India in comparison to the world. For example, in Argentina, a food exporting nation, 9.4% of the population is engaged in agriculture and the level of mechanization is 75%, while in China the respective proportions are 64.9 and 38. In India, 52% of the population works in agriculture, but the level of mechanization is just 30%.CII also suggests a complete finance mechanism for facilitating leasing of farm machinery by small, medium and large farmers. Loans should be offered on agricultural interest rates and lending norms should be liberal, flexible and transparent".

It is easy to compare India with China or Argentina but the socio-economic and governing systems are totally different in these countries. In India land is the "sacred cow" and the political class does not want to bring out any land reforms for consolidation and improved viability. Cooperative movement in agriculture has not been a success though milk sector is an exception. What a successful cooperative strategy can achieve has been amply demonstrated by the Tibetan refugees in Karnataka and if this state is the leading producer of Maize in the country, thanks are due to this hard working immigrant population. The CII proposal is laudable indeed but there must be a will on the part of the ruling elite to work for such a transformation.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com