Inflexion Points: Sustainable agriculture for the economy’s sake

As India grows, whole water withdrawal will soar from 949 BCM in 2010 to 1,058 BCM in 2050. Agriculture’s share will rise from 77% in 2010 to 81% in 2050.

By Arunabha Ghosh

Through the financial downturn of the previous 12 months, agriculture’s efficiency was a saving grace. However continued progress can’t be taken with no consideration. Erratic monsoons, groundwater stress, soil degradation, and unmet diet calls for exert stress. If the pandemic has taught us something, we should use good instances to organize for the dangerous. The maxim is equally true for considered use of sources in agriculture.

When the economic system shrank by 24.4% by June 2020, agriculture grew 3.4%. By Q3, in opposition to barebones financial restoration (0.4%), agriculture grew 3.9%. The pattern, nevertheless, is of gradual agri-growth, at half (or much less) than the economic system’s common. This 12 months’s foodgrains manufacturing goal is 307 million tonnes (MT) in comparison with 301.92 MT final 12 months. The unfold of Covid to rural areas might additional dampen prospects. The operative query is what drives farm progress. The reply—luck, water and fertiliser—doesn’t encourage confidence.

Agriculture’s fortunes periodically swing relying on monsoons. This 12 months, the Met has forecast a traditional monsoon (98%) (June-September). With 60% of internet sown space being rainfed, good monsoons matter critically. When rains fail, pressures mount on small and marginal farmers.

Of 1,123 billion cubic metres (BCM) of usable water sources, 690 BCM is floor water. India’s reservoir capability for floor water sources is simply 258 BCM. With restricted entry to floor irrigation for many farmers, the default is to pump groundwater, enabled by low/zero electrical energy prices. India has develop into a groundwater economic system, utilizing greater than China and the US mixed. Overexploitation of this vital useful resource gravely threatens agricultural output. Farming in India is notoriously water-inefficient. Consumption can vary from 2,719 cubic metres per hectare (m3/ha) for oilseeds to 4,581 m3/ha for rice to eight,957 m3/ha for sugarcane. To scale back water footprint and enhance nutritious diets, farmer incentives and dietary preferences should shift in the direction of coarse cereals (jowar, bajra, ragi). Even for water guzzling crops, there’s big potential to enhance water effectivity with out compromising output or meals safety. A current research of eight crops in contrast consumption of probably the most environment friendly and least environment friendly farmers. For paddy, for example, shifting farming practices to probably the most environment friendly ones might cut back water use by 25% in Maharashtra and 73% in Andhra Pradesh. General, 20-47% of irrigation water might be saved between 2030 and 2050—and reallocated to different sectors— if farmers adopted water-saving irrigation practices.

As India grows, whole water withdrawal will soar from 949 BCM in 2010 to 1,058 BCM in 2050. Agriculture’s share will rise from 77% in 2010 to 81% in 2050. Financial savings of simply 1 BCM in agriculture might present water to 4.2 million city households yearly. The Har Ghar Jal and Make In India programmes would want extra 82 BCM and 117 BCM, respectively. Inefficient water use in agriculture will create tensions with different sectors. Economywide, there’s a large value of not bettering agricultural water effectivity and never reallocating the financial savings to extra productive sectors. CEEW researchers estimate this at practically `48 tn ($869 bn) in 2030 and `138 tn ($2.520 tn) in 2050.

Farming is not only about water however seeds and soil as nicely. Intensive fertiliser use has pushed the Inexperienced Revolution. This kharif season fertiliser demand will rise to 35 MT. As with water, there are limits past which utility of (chemical) inputs yields diminishing returns.

The excellent news is that there are substitutes for input-intensive farming. One other research has recognized 16 most promising sustainable agriculture programs and practices round India. The dangerous information is that they continue to be marginal. Solely 5—crop rotation, agroforestry, rainwater harvesting, mulching, and precision agriculture — have scaled to greater than 5% of the online sown space. Crop rotation covers 30 million hectares (Mha) and agroforestry about 25 Mha. Though India has the most important variety of farmers practising pure farming (800,000), they account for under 0.7% of farmers. Natural farming covers simply 2% of internet sown space. What holds again sustainable agriculture? First, we have no idea sufficient. We want extra research not solely on yield and incomes but in addition potential advantages for biodiversity, public well being (from decreased fertiliser use) and gender dynamics. Second, we don’t spend sufficient. The Nationwide Mission for Sustainable Agriculture will get solely 0.8% of the agriculture ministry’s finances (even smaller if INR 71,309 crore for fertiliser subsidies had been counted).

Third, we don’t experiment sufficient with various water pricing methods and restructured enter subsidies to extend effectivity. We should take a look at the macroeconomic advantages, at a basin or sub-basin degree, of reallocating water to extra productive sectors with out dropping farm output. Fourth, we don’t market sufficient. Sustainably-farmed produce might command a premium in markets. Authorities assist ought to account for whole farm productiveness (together with ecosystem companies). Farmers want dependable insurance coverage cowl to de-risk their experiments with various cropping programs.

Fifthly, we don’t disseminate sufficient. Data on higher farm practices and their outcomes needs to be available on built-in knowledge platforms. India has just lately promoted 2022 as Worldwide 12 months of Millets on the UN. We should educate farmers and customers concerning the dietary and environmental worth in sustainable agriculture.

Moderately than be sanguine about agriculture’s comparatively higher efficiency in a 12 months of financial contraction, India should act to scale back its farm sector’s vulnerabilities to vital sources. Luck, water and wholesome soil will finally run out.

The creator is CEO, Council on Power, Atmosphere and Water