|
|
|
You can get e-magazine links on WhatsApp. Click here
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nutritional value of Maharashtra soil depleting owing to pesticide use
|
|
Saturday, 22 April, 2017, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
|
|
Harcha Bhaskar, Mumbai
|
The nutritional value of soil has been depleting due to the continuous use of cheap pesticides with a high chemical value. This was stated by Shyam Khadka, India representative, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), at the Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CII) one-day conference on Sustainable and Climate-smart Agriculture (CSA) in Mumbai. The theme of the conference was CSA: Conceptual Framework and Application.
He added that this was causing high stress on land, and focusing on the western state of Maharashtra, he stated that western Maharashtra was not a region that was conducive to the production of sugarcane, because it had low water content.
Khadka stated that regions like Vidarbha and Marathwada had been experiencing drought every year, and added that the issue of licenses to sugar mills by the government to cooperative societies across the state was not an agriculture-friendly decision. “Sugarcane should be cultivated in regions like Bihar, Nepal, the regions along the Gangetic Valley and near the River Brahmaputra, where there is a continuous and abundant supply of water,” he said, suggesting that the sugar mills be relocated from the western to the eastern part of India.
Sustainable agriculture has now become a thing of the past as far as food security is concerned. Currently, scientists are discussing a new concept, CSA, which implies an approach to help guide action to transform and reorient the agricultural system to effectively and sustainably support development and food security under the changing climate. The concept was launched by FAO in 2010. Khadka said, “Climate change is not new phenomenon. It is a continuous process and reality of today. But, the current level of change is ten times more than it was in earlier years.”
“This has only affected agriculture and fishery in negative way. There is a prediction that there would be a 30-50 per cent decrease in the production of wheat in the Gangetic plain. That is because the production cycle of wheat now will last only for 19 days. Also, it is noted that fish are now moving towards the northern and southern hemisphere seeking cooler temperature, as the currently increasing temperatures in other regions are not suitable to fish,” he added.
Calamities, such as droughts and floods, have increased, both in terms of frequency and magnitude. More and more towns and cities are experiencing urban flooding and many more watersheds are experiencing droughts. Over 80 percent of India’s river basins are water-stressed. These include the Indus, Ganga, eastern- and western-flowing rivers, Mahi and Sabarmati.
With more than a quarter of the country’s population and more than 250 of 678 districts spread across 13 states of India vulnerable to drought, accompanied by drinking water shortage and agriculture distress, the overall impact is being felt by the industry.
At the same time, India is endowed with a rich and vast diversity of natural resource, water being one of them. Its development and management plays a vital role in agriculture production integrated water management is vital for poverty reduction, environmental sustenance and sustainable economic development . National water policy envisages that the water resources of the country should be developed and managed in an integrated manner.
“India is in the category of water-stressed nations, with many parts of the country being water-scarce. The per capita availability in many parts of India is far more critical compared to the international benchmark of water stress. Water security has become a major cause for concern, be it at the national, regional or local level, involving states, districts, cities, towns and villages,” said Ram Shankar Shinde, minister for water conversation, government of Maharashtra.
In 2014, the state government started a flagship programme, Jalyukta Shivar, under the leadership of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. Under this programme, all water and soil treatment, from top to bottom, in watershed areas are conducted with the coordination of nine major departments of the government.
“Maharashtra has decided to make 25,000 villages scarcity-free within five years.Water and soil conservation work in 11,494 villages has started. I’mhappy to sharework in 5,018 villagesis 100 per cent complete and they have become water neutral. It is pertinent to note that work worth more than Rs500 crore has been completed by public contribution. The total water storage created so far is 41.75 thousand million cubic feet (TMC). If we use this water storage for single irrigation,an areas of 12.51 lakh hectare can be irrigated. As of today, the Maharashtra government has provided special funds of Rs 3,475 crore and Rs4,144 crore through the convergence of various schemes. A total of Rs 7,619 crore has been allocated for soil and water conservation to enable sustainable farming. The government of India has appreciated this scheme and instructed other states to follow it,” Shinde said.
The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sindchan Yojana (PMKSY) has been launched by the Government of India converging all the schemes running in various ministries to create and upgrade the facilities to provide irrigation water to all fields in an efficient manner . The main objectives of the scheme are to achieveconvergence of investments in irrigation at the field level, enhance the physical access of water on the farm and expand the cultivable area under assured irrigation for providing Har Khet Ko Pani. It is based on the district irrigation plan and the state irrigation plan.
In Punjab and Haryana too, the use of urea is increasing, because it is available at a subsidised rate. The nitrogen and phosphorus content, which is very high, has affected the fertility of land.
“Climate change has also affected the nutritional value of food. The nutritional value of food today has declined vis-a-vis what it was 20 years ago. Thus, both the quality and quantity of agricultural production has become affected. The only solution to this is CSA, and India has the capacity to respond to the rapidly-changing climate. India has a variety of crop genetics available. So, it is upto the farmers to choose the crop genetic that can adapt to the local climate of a region. When there is a flood in one region, we can go to other region of the country for supply,” Khadka said.
CSA is nothing but a precaution to sustainable agriculture.
According to reports, half the population is dependent on agriculture for its livelihood. It plays a major role to eradicate poverty in India. So the question is not just about agricultural sustainability, but also social sustainability.
With an intention to come up with a roadmap and channelise the focus, there were discussions on the significance of CSA, the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources and agri inputs, innovative technologies for CSA, the constraints and the way forward.
Shankar Venkateswaran, conference chairman and chief, Tata Sustainability Group, Tata Sons Limited, said, “In 2050, the world population is estimated to be nine billion.”
“To feed this population, we need to double the food production, or at least increase it by 60 per cent. There is already poverty in the agricultural sector. There are small land holdings. Adding to this is the challenge of the ever-increasing demand and the climate change, which has impacted the land, water and soil nutrition over a period of time,” he added.
Venkateswaran said, “We shouldn’t wait for miracles to address these challenges, as miracles are nothing but science. The application of CSA can transform agriculture by increasing the productivity. It can remove greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, address water scarcity issues with smart irrigation and water-saving agricultural practices and the use of mobile technology and kiosks to adopt to climatic and agricultural changes. Research and development can also help to increase the yield of crops like rice, wheat and onion.”
“If we eat right and manage food wastage we can help to enhance food security. Also, food security starts at every household, local, region, national and global level. To tackle natural calamities like floods and drought in agriculture, we need a contingency plan in place,”
The vote of thanks for the inaugural session was proposed by Ninad Karpe, chairman, CII Western Region, and director, Aptech Ltd.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|