Smart Techniques for Agricultural Growth in India

Agriculture is undoubtedly the backbone of Indian economy, with more than 60% of the country’s population being dependent on farming and allied sectors for livelihood. India is today the world’s largest producer of pulses and spices, and second largest producer of rice, wheat, cotton, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables, and tea.

While the figures look promising, the average per capita food grain production in the country is declining. Farmers’ suicides in recent years are an indication of the poor state of agricultural economy. Limited artificial irrigation facilities, high cost of agricultural inputs and modern technological intervention, and small landholdings are the major problems that plague the Indian agriculture sector, forcing farmers to be dependent mostly on outdated and inefficient technologies.

The slowdown in agricultural growth has become a major cause of concern for the economy. India needs to focus on innovation and effective utilization of resources. It also needs to take significant strides towards R&D to improve agricultural expertise and enhance productivity.

Embracing a right balance of ‘smart’ and ‘sustainable’ practices mentioned below can ensure better yield for Indian farmers and enhance the food security of the nation over the long term.

Intelligent Crop Rotation

Crop rotation refers to the practice of planting a series of dissimilar crops in a certain area for sequenced seasons, which adds value to farming system by helping reduce soil erosion and increase soil fertility. While growing the same crop on the same piece land for consecutive years depletes the soil of certain nutrients, intelligent crop rotation helps increase productivity of the soil. In addition, crop rotation destroys pathogens or pests (which may appear when one species is being cropped continuously) and contributes to soil organic content. Rotation can be made more effective with the addition of bio-fertilizers and manure, and by incorporating intercropping or multiple cropping methods.

Nutrient and Soil Management

Soils in India often lack nutrient content. Nitrogen and other essential nutrients need to be given to the crops via composting manure, using legumes for nitrogen fixation, or precise matching of additional nutrients according to the plant needs. Nutrient management refers to the task of matching the soil and climate of a specific field to the rate, source, timing and site of the application of the nutrient. It is an important determinant for maintaining soil health to enhance food production and farm profitability.

Soil conditioning is another major area of concern that is mostly overlooked. Soil conditioners help in improving physical and chemical health of the soil; they also replenish and maintain nutrients so that crops can grow healthy and give good yields. Soil conditioning can be done by adding artificial soil conditioners to the soil in appropriate quantity or by using alternative techniques. For example, after output, if silage is churned and left in ground, it can serve as ground manure and enhance the fertility of soil.

Effective Pest and Disease Control

Pests and diseases are a natural part of the agricultural ecosystem. Worms, caterpillars, rodents, beetles, termites, cutworms, and fruit flies are some pests which cause significant harm to crops. Diseases such as bacterial blight (rice), ergot (bajra), leaf blight (maize), leaf spot (turmeric and groundnut) ail Indian agricultural.

Adopting effective pest control and disease control measures can result in increased productivity. This includes physical control, mechanical control, biological control, and so on. While biological and mechanical control involves active human role play, chemical control is based on application of substances that are toxic to the pests. Judicious use of chemical pesticides can protect plants from pests, diseases, and overgrowth, and reduce crop loss by up to 40%. Agrochemical companies like Crystal Crop Protection Pvt. Ltd are doing valuable research and development work and are coming up with innovative solutions — effective herbicides, fungicides, plant enhancers, etc. to help farmers protect their crop and increase productivity.

Water Preservation and Management

Water remains the most critical and limiting factor when it comes to agricultural growth. Indian farmers are horribly dependent of the monsoon. Almost 80% of the Indian farmers are smallholders (who live off small landholdings). It is therefore pertinent to generate innovative, low-cost irrigation solutions for such farmers. Treadle pumps and drip irrigation systems are examples of efficient and affordable solutions that can be used to save water.

In India, water charges are based on the area of the land and not on the volume of water used, which leads to inefficient use and scarcity at times. Also, the use of water in Indian agriculture faces great competition from other sectors. Hence, water management must be designed to augment local water resources leading to equitable profit generation, and steps to harvest rainwater and replenish the depleting groundwater resources should be taken seriously.

Judicious Use of Agrochemicals

Agrochemicals and fertilizers are vital to protect crops, increase productivity and maximize yields, but farmers in India often lack information about what is available in the market and how to use them to their benefit. It is extremely important to educate farmers about appropriate agricultural inputs and practices specific to the region, climate and soil conditions. Farmers must seek help from individual agro experts and government advisory bodies in order to learn about site-specific formulations and application techniques.

Mechanization with New-Age Agri Equipment

Mechanization of agriculture in India is the need of the hour as it can play a significant role in large-scale cultivation and harvesting. Efficient use of new-age agri equipment can help in increasing field productivity by almost up to 30%. Introduction of precision-based, energy-efficient technology can lower input costs as well.

With use of prime movers, tractors, and power tillers to perform specific agricultural tasks such as soil conditioning, tillage, or harvesting, agricultural mechanization is slowly replacing conventional methods. Some of the common forms of mechanized agri devices and equipment used in India at present are tractor-drawn MB plough, rotavator, long-handle wheel hoe, low volume sprayers, sickle, micro sprinkler etc.

Technology Integration

Integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) holds the potential to transform the entire agribusiness value chain in India. With the application of Internet of Things, tracking crops from field to farm is now much easier than before. There is no doubt that agri-tech innovations will have a huge impact on informed decisions for farmers even in far-flung villages, at all levels -- primary (production), secondary (processing) and tertiary (marketing and packaging).

With the penetration of smart phones and television even in remote corners of the country, information on agri-specific and value added services is now accessible easily via mobile apps. Be it weather forecast or mass awareness against a harmful pest for a particular crop, the communication has to reach every farmer, regardless of where he may be. Technology via software and e-aid to agriculture needs to play a bigger role in addressing the concerns of farmers. The R&D team of Crystal constantly endeavors to revolutionize agriculture in India through the promotion of scientific farming practices among farming communities.

Farmer Education

Farmers' education and training provided at the community level increase productivity and profitability over the long term. Farmers in rural areas generally do not have up-to-date information on how to grow food efficiently and economically. Vocational agricultural schooling and on-field demonstrations can be particularly helpful in this regard.

Agrochemical companies like Crystal Crop Protection now organize regular farmer meets to educate them about latest technologies from sowing to harvest. New information and education disseminated through regular training sessions (face-to-face or by means of a technology medium) can give a big fillip to agriculture in the country. Presence of support infrastructure and innovative marketing, are other important inputs to boost agricultural growth in the country.