Policies for sustainable agriculture

As per the definition laid down by the Natural Agricultural Research Extension and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, the basic term of ‘sustainable agriculture’ means a system of production of animal and plant operations that have applications that are site-specific and can provide long-term benefits. India as a country is enormous both in the form of landmass and in the form of population. Agriculture is the primary form of livelihood of more than fifty percent of the population of India and becomes very overwhelming at times. New land is constantly being brought under agriculture. There are some lands on which agricultural activities have been performed for centuries. Hence, they are tending to lose out on their fertility. Policies of sustainable agriculture are hence necessary for the overall conservation of land as well as efficient farming systems which will lead to agriculture sustainable development. 

According to the reports of the ‘Rashtriya Krishi Vikaas Yojna’, the decades of 1970 and 1980s showed massive growth in agricultural production. The 1990s however saw a major slump in this sector and it has only worsened since the 2000s. 2001, 2002, 2003 saw a negative trajectory in the line graph of agricultural growth and development in India. The biggest challenge for the subcontinent was to increase agricultural production while minimizing the effects it is having on the environment. 

There are two basic problems that obstacle a smooth upward moving graph in the agricultural field. It is these obstacles for which farming systems and sustainable agriculture and sustainable development need to be revisited frequently. 

• Land degradation: As discussed above, land degradation is a recurring problem in the subcontinent, the sheer population of the country requires farmers to produce enormous amounts of crops. Furthermore, the recurring patterns of agriculture make lands lose out on their fertility. 
• Water: the agricultural sector of India is almost entirely dependent on rains. New technologies have indeed found ways of creating artificial irrigation techniques. Rain remains to be the most important source of water supply for crops. Irregular monsoons, the rapid decrease in the level of groundwater, as well as expensive artificial irrigation techniques which make it difficult for poor farmers to attain them continue to be the biggest problems of water in India. 

Policies for sustainable agriculture  

• India’s National Agricultural Policy: this policy stressed the requirement of non-environment degrading, technologically sound, and economically achievable ways which would lead to agricultural sustainable development. The policies contain ways like rationalising the use of land and water in different agro-oriented states. This policy also includes sensitising the community of farmers regarding the environmental effects reckless agriculture has on the environment. 

• The Tenth Five Year Plan: this plan was drafted to be established between 2002-2007. This plan specifically focussed on issues like the depleting levels of groundwater, rainwater harvesting, and so on. The use of pesticides and fertilizers was also included in this plan. This plan also identified the concept of ‘organic farming’ and assured that this will be the future of agriculture in India if it wishes to save the environment. 

Some promising ways of agriculture sustainable development:

1. Precision Farming
2. Agroforestry 
3. Organic Farming 
4. Conservation Agriculture
5. Natural Farming
6. Cover crops and Mulching 
7. Crop rotation and Intercropping 
8. System of rice intensification   

Farming Systems and sustainable agriculture 

For a very long time the cultivation practice of “Jhum ” was practiced in India where a group of tribes moved from place to place and when they stayed in a place for some time, they grew crops there to sustain themselves. However, when they moved, they used to cultivate the crops, consume some of them and pack the rest for their journey to come. The crop which was left behind was burnt down by the tribals. This not only led to the destruction of the valuable crop but also affected the fertility of the soil. Although the 1988 Forest Policy strongly discourages shifting cultivation or ‘Jhum’, it is still practiced in many parts of remote locations in India. This farming system created an unhealthy situation for the land where it lost its fertility very quickly and hence it was directly contradictory to sustainable agriculture.  

Organic farming is said to be the ‘thrust’ where the farming community should be focussing on. The use of fertilisers though encouraged by the government at one point in time is now questioned. The harmful chemicals from these fertilisers affect the soil in the harshest manner possible. Furthermore, when water passes through the fields for irrigation it accumulates those fertilisers and deposits them in the nearest water bodies where they run into, these water bodies are a lot of times the sole source of drinking water for the nearby villages and support marine lives. Fertiliser-induced water not only makes the human body sick but also gravely damages marine life which at times is also used for pisciculture.

Conclusion 

This article taught us about sustainable agriculture in India, the policies associated with it along the different ways in which it can be used and sustained.