Question

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Answer 1

Agriculture, an important sector of our economy accounts for 14 per cent of the nation’s GDP and about 11 per cent of its exports. India has the second largest arable land base (159.7 million hectares) after US and largest gross irrigated area (88 million hectares) in the world. Rice, wheat, cotton, oil seeds, jute, tea, sugarcane, milk and potatoes are the major agricultural commodities produced. More importantly, over 60 per cent of the country’s population, comprising several million small farming households, depends on agriculture as a principal income source and land

i) Inputs A perception about agriculture is that it is an individual enterprise whereas if we look at the old times, farmers always helped each other in fields and got a portion of produce in return. This not only helped deal with shortage of farm labour, but also promoted community sharing. With modern agriculture, the practice has become impersonal as machines and migrant labourers do the job at a price. The only solution to check rising input costs is to make farming a collective enterprise. Hiring of implements through local farmers’ cooperatives would not only cut down expenditure on machines but also fetch extra income for the farmers. Similarly, linkage between formal and farmer-saved seed systems through local enterprises would reduce costs and promote scientific temperament among farmers to develop new crop varieties.

ii) Irrigation In India, water availability per capita has declined from 5000 cubic metres (m3) per annum in 1950 to around 2000 m3 now and is projected to decline to 1500 m3 by 2025 leading to far less water availability for agriculture. The water availability for agricultural use has reached a critical level as the country uses more than 80 per cent of the surface water for this sector alone. On the other hand, inefficient and dilapidated canal irrigation systems have led to a spurt in groundwater development. India is the largest user of groundwater in the world with over 60 per cent of irrigated agriculture and 85 per cent of drinking water supplies dependent on aquifers.