Ensuring Food Security AMID Challenges

Published on August 15, 2010 by INVC   ·   22 Comments  Print This Post

Dr. S. Ayyappan**

The National Agricultural Research System (NARS), one of the largest in the world has been playing a catalytic role in the overall growth and development of agriculture through generation of technologies for enhancing the productivity and production by overcoming production constraints. India, which was once upon a time dependent on imports of food grains to feed its population, has now become exporter of food grains.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) continues to lead the country in the area of agricultural research, education and extension through its wide network of 98 Research Institutes and 578 Krishi Vigyan Kendra’s across the country. In addition, ICAR supports 45 State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) in their region specific research and academic pursuits. Owing to globalization and liberalization, the Council has reoriented its research education and educational programmes to make agriculture more remunerative. The system-based orientation is initiating a paradigm shift in the farming system, keeping production-to–consumption system of operation in view.

Currently, India accounts for about 12 percent wheat, 21 percent rice (paddy), 25 percent pulses, 10 percent fruits, 22 percent sugarcane and 16 percent milk of global production. This is being achieved from 2.3 percent of the global land, 4.2 percent of the water and little over 11 percent of arable land having only 50 percent potential for irrigation, to support 18 percent of world’s population. The returns from investment on R&D in agriculture are of the order of 48 percent, and strength of this sector was demonstrated in the wake of recent downturn in the global food situation, while India remained in a comfortable situation.

However the ICAR, being a knowledge based organization, has to address the challenges through technology driven innovative approach. The constraints of increasing biotic and abiotic pressures, decreasing biodiversity, shrinking and degrading natural resources and increasing climate variability are being tackled in pro-active manner. The overall strategy is to achieve the goal of farmers’ well being, livelihood, food and nutritional security, equity and economic prosperity. Collaborative effort of the Council with various public and private enterprises provided technology led sustainable rural livelihood models on production to consumption system in important commodities. Council introduced models of technological innovation-based sustainable rural livelihood initiatives in 102 of 150 most disadvantaged districts, benefitting 50,000 farm families.

To safeguard the food security from climate variability, a National Institute on Abiotic Stress Management, with deemed-to-university status has been established in Maharashtra and is already operational. The important research programmes of this institute would be in a matrix mode and conducted through four multi-disciplinary schools dealing with different type of abiotic stresses and policy support. To contain crop losses due to droughts and floods, special emphasis is given to develop new varieties of food crop that can withstand moisture stress and water submergence. An ambitious multi-disciplinary programme involving 35 institutes aims to broaden the window of optimal growth conditions for cultivated crops under adverse climate, thereby increasing yield and reaping enhanced stabilized production under changed climatic conditions.

To ensure availability of quality seeds and planting materials to farmers, the ICAR has stepped up its efforts resulting in production and distribution of more than 7340 tonnes of breeder seeds and over 25 lakhs planting materials during 2009-10. The Council is ensuring timely supply of these materials along with necessary instructions by making good use of its wide network of 578 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) across the country.

To achieve targeted growth rate of 6% in livestock output and safeguard the livestock production, a high security animal disease laboratory was established. The laboratory is playing a pivotal role in providing diagnostic services for avian influenza besides developing vaccine. Establishment of an international Foot-and-Mouth Disease Reference Laboratory is underway and will facilitate global participation and eradication of the disease from South Asia. Similarly, diagnostic kits have been also developed for important plant diseases. An e-pest surveillance for cotton and soybean is developed based on the three-tier architecture, consisting of a database, an offline data entry and uploads application and an online reporting and advisory application. To address the issues relating to intellectual property management, the Council formulated its own guidelines that provide the required policy framework to develop research partnerships. The ICAR has adopted a decentralized three-tier institutional mechanism; wherein an Institute Technology Management Unit (ITMU) and a Committee (ITMC) are established in each institute that are empowered to handle various intellectual property and technology management matters on day-to-day basis. Five institutes generating more of technologies with commercial potential were identified as the Zonal Technology Management & Business Planning and Development (ZTM&BPD) units to serve as the middle-tier, in synergy with the ITMUs in their respective zones, and work out the best-fit strategies and work plan for technology transfer and realization on a zonal basis. The Central Technology Management Committee at the ICAR (Headquarters) is the apex decision-making body facilitating in techno-legal and policy matters/concerns. The central unit is also to catalyze more initiatives in building sustainable public-private relationships.

In the current knowledge intensive era, sharing of agricultural knowledge and information among various stakeholders is an essential component. Hence, the Council is continuously striving to develop a knowledge based and technology driven information dissemination system for quick, effectual and cost- effective delivery of message to all the stakeholders in agriculture. Keeping pace with the current knowledge diffusion trends, ICT is being employed vigorously to reach out to target audience in a most compatible fashion. A Hub has been operationalized at ICAR Hq. for e-connectivity of 192 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and 8 Zonal Project Directorates (ZPDs) in the country and gradually it will broaden its range of reach. The e- facility is expected to foster an enabling environment to KVKs for developing partnerships and collaborations between scientists and farmers for sharing appropriate technologies, best practices and innovative ideas among all stakeholders. The facility will provide internet access to global e-content on agriculture and development of KVKs web pages with user-friendly information such as FAQs, weather forecasting, calendar of activities etc. A two way audio and one way video multicasting and broadcasting will further facilitate and strengthen communication bond between stakeholders. It will also provide computer generated agro-advisory alerts to mobile phone holder farmers and other stakeholders in the district. Updated weather based agro-advisories are posted on ICAR website regularly for farmers. A Kisan Mobile Advisory (KVK-KMA) service has been initiated in which messages will be delivered on every Tuesday and Friday to the farmers by the KVKs. It is expected that 60,000 farmers will be benefited by 6,24,000 messages.

Keeping pace with the current knowledge diffusion trends, the Council is delivering and showcasing appropriate agricultural technologies to farmers and other stakeholders through print, electronic and web mode. A range of authoritative books, monographs and periodicals are regularly published and circulated across the country on agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries and other allied sectors. Recently, ICAR has launched regular video and audio programmes on Doordarshan and All India Radio wherein experts of the different disciplines share their knowledge and experiences directly with target groups. Video films produced by ICAR on remunerative agricultural technologies are being regularly screened on various channels of Doordarshan. The website of the Council has been recently revamped to make it more user-friendly by including FAQs, motivating success stories and useful information as Krishi Gyan. More than 97,000 visitors are taking advantage of the website per month. The research journals published by ICAR have been made available in open access mode for global reach and visibility.

As agriculture is becoming more and more knowledge-intensive and market-driven, far more innovative research, development efforts, efficient policies and effective delivery of services, supplies and markets are imperative. The national agricultural policy has set a goal of 4 percent plus growth rate in agriculture to ensure sustainable household food security. With the passage of time, the new research would certainly be more capital and knowledge intensive. Further, with given investments in R&D in general and agriculture in particular, it is important to be selective about what needs to be done, how it should be done and delivered so that resources are judiciously used.

The growth in agriculture being an outcome of interplay of several factors implies that besides a vibrant NARS, an enabling policy environment, adequate public funding, supportive markets and financial institutions, availability of inputs including energy, feed and fodder, and improved income, are equally important to provide impetus to the farm sector. As agriculture and food sector in the next two decades will be very different from what it is today, ICAR is working on a new vision required for transforming present day agriculture into more productive, efficient and sustainable.

Dr. S. Ayyappan**

**Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education, and Director General, ICAR, New Delhi

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