2. INDIA: A BLESSED LANDMASS
• India is the world’s seventh largest country as far area is considered.
• Its great Indo-Gangetic plains, Coastal plains, the Deccan's, Himalayan foothills
composed of different types of soils like alluvial, black, red, laterite and mountain soils
allow to grow a vast variety of crops.
• Its tropical and subtropical type of climatic features favors the farming of cereals,
fruits, vegetables, spices. Hardly any nation of the world has such a great natural
benefit.
• India enjoys annual rainfall of 1160 mm ( world average 1110 mm), water cover 4% of
total world water.
• Almost 55-60% of total workforce is engaged in agriculture. India’s workforce is second
largest in world just after China.
3. AGRICULTURAL CHALLENGES OF INDIA
• Contribution of agriculture to the overall GDP of the country has fallen from about 30
percent in 1990-91 to less than 15 percent in 2011-12, a trend that is expected in the
development process of any economy, agriculture yet forms the backbone of development.
• Rising number of small farms and fragmentation of farms.
• Agriculture is still not an organized sector due to lack of administrative support and
awareness among farmers.
• Inadequate food storage facilities. Almost 21 million tons of wheat which is equivalent to
Australia’s entire production is wasted every year in India. About 40% of fruits and
vegetables perish before it reaches to the market due to lack of transportation and storage
facilities.
4. • A nexus of middleman between farmer and market(both urban and rural), leading to improper
payback to the farmer and weakening farmer’s position in market.
• Since 1970s there is decline in the irrigation potential development and its proper utilization.
• Regular hikes in the prices of fuels and other energy resources do not allow for energy intensive
irrigation practices leading to regular downfall in the total irrigated land of India.
• Small farmers don’t have enough capital to use advanced technologies for sowing and harvesting
of crops.
• Due to deficiencies in the Public Distribution System the subsidised seeds and fertilizers don’t
reach to farmers .
• Farmers whose sole source of earning is farming if faces loss due to natural calamities like floods
and droughts has to go through a very long administrative steps to get the compensation and that
even don’t account for loss of labour and time.
• Lack in the farm mechanisation and tools for farming are also not very modern.
• Due to excess use of inorganic chemical fertilisers there is regular loss in the fertility of soil.
Burnings of crop remains in the field damages the soil quality which has become a usual practice
by farmers.
• Research and innovations in agriculture and allied areas is very limited in India as compared to
China, USA and Brazil.
• Youths do not see agriculture as a good source of earning as compared to other sectors.
• Farmers lack the knowledge of business of food industries and hence are limited to growing and
selling of the crops at household level. The best example is selling of sugarcane to sugar industries
by farmers in which farmers always feel cheated for the amount they are paid by the industry.
• Minimum support price has been a great issue among farmers.
• A rapid increase in the rate of suicidal of famers has been observed in the previous few years
which is very embarrassing for an agrarian economy like India.
• Agriculture has been a neglected area by private investors and political care in past few years.
5. SOLUTIONS
Major Problems Proposed solutions Advantages over existing
system
1. Food storage •Construction of food storage infrastructure
lashed with advanced refrigeration and
preservation technology
•Proper set up of network through
information technology for easy access to
quantity of crops in various parts of India.
•It will reduce the food waste which
is approx 40% of total production as
per World Bank data.
•This will increase the food business
and its allied industries.
2. Gap between farmer and
market
• FOOD BANK: proper maintenance of record
and detail of storage by each farmer.
• Transparency of total quantity of
agro products.
3. Improper administration
and management
•Introduction of a National agency for
verification and inspection of agro products.
•Prevent the leaks in existing system
.
4. Seepage of irrigation
Water
•Use of soil stabilization techniques for
retaining of water at upper layers .
•Cotton soil/ alluvial soil is used in field to
reduce the seepage of irrigation water
• Prevention of wastage of energy in
pumping from ground .
6. CREATION OF WORKFORCE
FARMERS GRADUATES/
DIPLOMA
RESEARCHERS/
MANAGEMENT
PROFESSIONALS
PRINCIPLE FOR
CHOOSING THE
GROUP
•Work experience in
the field.
•Knowledge of
agriculture and allied
branches/Engineering
•Able to built
Resumes & deliver
training skills.
•Doctorates in field
of agriculture/
technology.
•Impart relevant
training through
work experience.
Around 80 thousand Around Thirty
thousand
Ten thousand
POTENTIAL SKILLS
CONVEYED
•Good knowledge of
traditional farming
methods.
•Hard work for long
duration.
•Deliver training to
farmers about new
agricultural machines.
•Language proficiency
• Managerial &
innovative solutions.
•Industrial
operations/research.
7. BUILDING THE WORKFORCE
Need of skill assessment
• Requirement of technical skills for engineering designs and project
management.
• Proper knowledge of Government policies and schemes.
• Knowledge of farming, water resources, IT sector, Laws.
Recruitment of the workforce
• Researchers/Engineering graduates from state, central institutions.
• Retired officers from Government Departments like Food
Corporation of India, Ministry of Water Resource, Bank.
Awareness building
• Utilization of social and print media.
• Campaigning in educational and commercial institutions.
8. PLANNING AND MAPPING
MANAGEMENT
SYSTEM
HELDING CONFERENCE
AND SEMINAR ON THE
PROPOSED SOLUTION BY
THE RESEARCHERS
AWARENESS PROGRAMS
TRAINING CAMPS AT
COMMUNITY LEVEL
IMPARTING TRAINING
TECHNICAL
INFORMATION TO THE
GRADUATE
INSTITUTIONS /
LABROTORIES
INDUSTERIES
RETIRED GOVRNMENT
OFFICERS
BHARTIYA KISAN
SANGH (FARMER
UNION)
9. IMPLEMENTATION
Training Delivery
• Medium: Regional languages.
• Training period: 6 months to 1 year.
• Venue: Panchayat bhavan, Schools,
Agricultural farms.
• Computerized vocational training
through video conference.
• Distribution of recorded media files.
Curriculum
• Knowledge/use of refrigeration,
transportation and food storage
technologies and their advantages.
• Use of organic fertilizers, advance
irrigation techniques like using
alluvial soil in farm field and seeds
and farming practices.
• Imparting education about
government policies, laws, rules and
regulations of the required field.
Social Support, Scalability and
Sustainability
• Recruitment of technical staff from
among the newly passed out
graduates will help the model self
driven.
• Support from social activists, local
people and farmers.
10. IMPACT
Economic benefits:
• Increase in employment.
• Boom in agricultural productivity.
• More raw materials for Agro-based Industries and Increase in export
of agricultural products.
• Food Bank will ensure food security and control over sudden inflation
of essential commodities.
Social progress:
• Reduction in suicidal rate of farmers and Increase in their living
standards.
• Rise in interest among youth towards agriculture.
11. Challenges and Mitigation Factors
Uncertainties:
– This model needs huge cost hence
government may not find it viable to
invest.
– Several natural factors may damage
the project implementation.
– Youth may not find it more efficient
source of earning.
Implementation challenges:
– To line up with different research
institutes of the country.
– Providing effective training at vast
scale.
– Conducting large scale conferences
and training camps.
Mitigation factors:
– Tie up with National magazines
like YOJANA for awareness
campaign.
– Bringing in private sector
investments.
– PWD can provide free of cost
venues like parks and National
stadiums for seminars and
conferences.
– Education and Research Councils
can provide training curriculum.
12. REFERENCES
• World Bank report on Indian food productivity
trends.
• Annual report on irrigation submitted by
Ministry of Water resources of India.
• Food corporation of India report on annual
food loss.
• Yojana magazine.
