Ensuring sustainable agricultural growth
The idea that we need greater collaboration between scientific institutions and the farming community if we have to ensure sustainable agricultural growth, is nothing new. The agricultural activities have always thrived on the inclusion of new knowledge based practices, with scientific machines and tools making it easy and efficient. From better seeds to fertilisers to pesticides, from best farming practices to tools that save time and help in scaling up production, the farming sector has come a long way.
In the present era agriculture is no longer the same old activity that was only driven by manual work and a limited harvest. Now we have less land parcels but more production. It was only when huge inputs from our research institutions, specific to this discipline, came. In this regard the institutions like SKUAST have done a commendable job.
The collaboration between research institutions and the actual farming practices is now needed, probably, more than ever before. The reasons are more than one. We have a population that has grown by a huge margin. The life expectancy has improved by a good margin. These two factors have put immense pressure on food needs. Globally the food security is a crucial concern.
If population has seen a huge surge on one hand, the land available for agriculture has reduced significantly. In a place like Kashmir the areas once known for rice cultivation, or apple orchards have been converted into human habitation. This has brought a twin pressure on our food security.
While we need more food to feed an ever increasing population, the land available for the purpose is shrinking. In such a situation the only way out is to enhance productivity per unit area of cultivable land. To this end we need scientific inputs that can ensure multifold increase in the yield while also preserving the quality of soil. Our agricultural practices must ensure a combination of hi- tech yet sustainable practices. If we have to feed the coming generations, we need to do everything to ensure a sustainable growth in our agricultural sector.
