Overview on Sustainable farming in India.
This report presents an assessment of the current status of sustainable agriculture practices and systems (SAPSs) in India in cooperation with the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU). In the framework of a future with limited resources due to climate change, it seeks to assist administrators, donors, policymakers, and others in supporting an evidence-based scaling-up of SAPSs. Using agroecology as an analytical lens, the study identified 16 SAPSs, including agroforestry, crop rotation, rainwater collection, organic farming, and natural farming. It comes to the conclusion that sustainable agriculture is not common in India based on a thorough examination of sixteen practices. Additionally, it suggests a number of actions to advance SAPSs, such as reorganized government assistance and meticulous evidence production.
Key Highlights on Sustainable farming in India.
A much-needed substitute for conventional input-intensive agriculture, which over time degrades soils, depletes groundwater supplies, and reduces biodiversity, is sustainable agriculture. In a world with climate constraints, ensuring India’s nutrition security is essential. Although there are several definitions of sustainable agriculture, this study looks at it through the lens of agroecology. This phrase generally alludes to more diverse livestock and crop options, less resource-intensive farming methods, and farmers’ capacity to adjust to local conditions. In India, there are only five sustainable agriculture practices that are considered mainstream: crop rotation, agroforestry, rainwater harvesting, mulching, and precision farming. These practices account for less than 5% of the net sown area.
Of all Indian farmers, less than five million, or 4%, use the majority of SAPSs. Less than one percent of people practice many of these. With over 15 million farmers and 30 million hectares (Mha) of land, crop rotation is the most widely used SAPS in India. Rainwater harvesting and agroforestry, which are mostly used by large farmers, have comparatively high coverage levels of 25 and 20–27 Mha, respectively. Currently, about 2.8 Mha, or 2% of India’s 140 Mha net seeded area, are used for organic farming. About 800,000 farmers in India have embraced natural farming, which is the sustainable agricultural approach with the quickest rate of growth. After years of consistent marketing, 5 Mha has been covered by Integrated Pest Management (IPM).
Sustainable agriculture practices and systems in India (2021) – key statistics
Researchers examining the effects of SAPSs on social, environmental, and economic results are mainly interested in agroforestry and system of rice intensification (SRI). There is either very little or no data supporting the effects of techniques like floating farming, permaculture, and biodynamic agriculture. All three of the sustainability components’ long-term SAPS assessments are severely lacking from the current literature. A study deficit on assessments at the landscape, regional, or agroecological zone levels is one of the other research constraints. Another is the relative lack of attention paid to evaluation criteria like gender, health, and biodiversity. Just 0.8% of the INR 142,000 crore total budget of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare is allocated to the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture.
Under various central government plans, eight out of the sixteen practices identified by the study receive some fiscal assistance. Since all of the Indian states have created rules specifically for organic farming, organic farming has drawn the greatest attention from policymakers. The majority of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) participating in SAPSs were based in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra. CSOs are especially interested in organic farming, natural farming, and vermicomposting.
Key Emerging Themes in Sustainable farming in India.
The importance of knowledge: Since most SAPSs are knowledge-intensive, farmers must be strengthened in their capacity and their knowledge must be shared for successful adoption. The dependence on agricultural labor: Because SAPSs are a specialty, there is currently a lack of mainstream mechanization for tasks like preparing different inputs, pulling weeds, or even harvesting in mixed cropping fields. Because of this labor-intensive nature, medium- to large-scale farmers may find it difficult to adopt SAPs. Reason for Motivation: The adverse enduring consequences of traditional farming are compelling farmers to explore substitutes. Moreover, farmers who do not rely heavily on outside inputs and who operate in resource-constrained areas are also open to gradually switching to SAPSs. Food and nutrition security: By diversifying their sources of income and food, SAPSs help farmers increase the security of their food supply.
Key Recommendations on Sustainable farming in India.
Rain fed areas could be the first to be scaled up because they already practice low-resource agriculture, have poor productivities, and will mostly benefit from the shift. Reorganize the way the government assists farmers by putting incentives in place to conserve resources and by rewarding results rather than just outputs like yields, like increased farm productivity or ecosystem services. Long-term comparative evaluations of sustainable agriculture and conventional, resource-intensive agriculture on the one hand will help generate reliable evidence. Take action to increase the perspectives of those involved in the agriculture ecosystem and their receptivity to different ways of thinking.
Provide people who stand to lose out from a widespread shift to sustainable agriculture with short-term transition support. Integrate data and information gathering on SAPSs into the current national and state-level agriculture data systems to make sustainable agriculture visible.