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The future belongs to grains not guns: Dr M S Swaminathan
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Friday, 08 January, 2010, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, Mumbai
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 Hunger is on the increase in India. At the ongoing 97th Indian Science Congress, the father of Green Revolution, Dr MS Swaminathan, said, “It is far more widespread than is generally believed. The future belongs to nations with grains and not guns.”
He shared his thoughts with the audience comprising media people and the delegates, about the four major challenges faced by the country – climate change, nutrition deficiency, acquiring food security through biotechnology and preservation of biodiversity.
Dr Swaminathan foresees the emergence of a new group of refugees, called ‘climate refugees’ who are forced to migrate from regions with adverse climate. For example, arise in sea level will cause the shift of a sizeable population from the coastal regions to the inland. He urged the nation to popularise the “Kuttanad” model of under-sea-level farming.
“The current food inflation is frightening. If pulses, potatoes and onions are beyond the purchasing capacity of the majority, malnourishment will be a painful result,” he added.
Dr Swaminathan also thinks that there is not enough conclusive data to assess the impact of temperature rise. In all the 127 agro–climatic zones in the country, he sees the need for research stations, at least virtual stations for comprehensive data collection and analysis. “It is for the Central government to decide on the implementation of the recommendations framed by a committee chaired by him on the National Policy for Farmers. The report stressed on shift of focus from yield to income, attraction and retention of youth to farming and concerns of women farmers.”
According to him, parents should be the first to motivate youth towards agriculture. The opportunities for the professionally trained in agricultural science, veterinary science and home science to pursue self-employment in agriculture need to be explored.
The nation will be heading for a major disaster in the food front if timely steps are not taken to revitalise our agricultural sector, he warned.
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