Human, animal, and environmental health all are intertwined, according to Covid-19. Environmental drivers of zoonotic illnesses include overexploitation of natural resources, deforestation, and unsustainable intensification of agriculture. More lethal epidemics are expected unless wildlife habitat devastation and biodiversity loss are reversed.
Agriculture in the postmodern era is based on the concept of sustainability. This contrasts with modern agriculture, which has been built on science-driven methods for more than half a century and is symbolized by the Green Revolution, which is today seen as a double-edged sword.
Our soil organic matter level is among the lowest in Asia, due to rapidly disappearing groundwater aquifers and 35 percent land degradation. Wheat and rice monocultures are displacing the diversity of traditional farming practices. Nutrition has suffered as a result of genetic uniformity, which has increased vulnerability to biotic and abiotic pressures. Mono-cultural production models are challenged by sustainable agriculture (SA).
Today, there are a variety of farming strategies for increasing agricultural output while using less land, water, and energy. Their methods boost productivity while also restoring soil fertility, improving water quality, increasing biodiversity, and ensuring intergenerational equity.
National Mission For Sustainable Agriculture
One of the eight missions of the National Action Plan on Climate Change is the National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture. As Covid-19 draws to a close, the period coincides with the United Nations (UN) Ecosystem Restoration Decade of 2021-2030, which aims to embrace radical changes in the direction of a green recovery that nourishes resilient production and consumption systems. The following are some of the most notable SA efforts in India:
- 25 million hectares of tree-based farming systems that make up agroforestry supply fruit, fodder, fuel, fiber, and timber while also benefiting the environment through nutrient recycling, carbon storage, biodiversity preservation, and soil and water conservation. It improves farmer resilience by increasing earnings, nourishment, and crop failure insurance.
- Roughly two million hectares of conservation agriculture are used in India’s wheat-rice region. It focuses on inefficient water, nutrient, and energy consumption. Zero tillage, laser levelling, crop sequencing, precision irrigation, stress-tolerant and climate-resilient cultivars, and crop residue retention rather than burning are among its techniques.
- Zero-Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) takes a back-to-basics strategy, using traditional in situ plant extracts and livestock manure to boost soil fertility and crop productivity while lowering cultivation costs. Andhra Pradesh is in the lead, with a goal of encouraging six million farmers to use it on eight million hectares by 2024.
- Organic agriculture is only practiced on 2% of the net farmed area. Despite the fact that the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana was launched in 2015, organic farming has progressed slowly.
- SRI (Systems of Rice Intensification) is an example of getting more out of less. It harnesses the biological and genetic power of plants and soil to boost rice yields by 20 to 50 percent while using 25 to 50 percent less water, 30 to 40 percent fewer agrochemicals, and 80 to 90 percent less seed. Climate-smart agriculture, permaculture, regenerative agriculture, biodynamic cultivation, vertical farming, and hydroponics, all on a small scale, are other SA approaches.
Author’s Thoughts
Careless stewardship of natural resources has depleted a great deal. The key to success is long-term sustainability. To feed a growing population, the agriculture sector will require scientific advancements. The task at hand is to discover the best balance of continuity and change in order to navigate our way to the new normal.