How well do you know India's evolving relationship with agriculture?

Study Notes

Bharat Bhushan and Deo Datt Singh discuss India's evolving relationship with agriculture.
Agriculture has a longstanding history in India, but was monsoon-dependent prior to Independence.
The government prioritized and encouraged agriculture post-Independence, leading to the Green Revolution.
The Green Revolution increased food grain production, but also led to the unrestrained use of chemicals and pesticides, damaging land and water.
Agriculture plays an important role in India's rural economy, with potential for significant contribution to the economy if worked upon together through an integrated approach.
The private sector has played a major role in reaching remote places with extension workers and contributing to the sale of products.
An integrated approach to rural development that accounts for livelihoods such as animal husbandry, dairy farming, and fish production can boost the rural economy.
The value of farmers' work needs to be recognized to enhance their self-respect and move towards self-reliance.
Agriculture played a crucial role in providing free grains during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The private sector has a major role to play in supporting farmers and promoting sustainable agriculture practices.
Private companies can play a role in consolidating and arranging the buy-back of horticulture products to help reduce post-harvest loss.
The private sector can create markets for farmer collectives and help them store and process agricultural products.
Private companies can invest in climate-change-resilient research to help tackle the climate change crisis.
Agriculture can be a remunerative career for young people, and there is a huge opportunity for them to find employment in agriculture and reform the sector.
India needs to increase its food grain production fourfold each year for the next three decades to fulfil its requirement of 400 million tonnes by 2050.
Despite being an agrarian country with a huge rural population, many people, especially those who live in cities, don’t know much about the rural economy.
Consolidated policies and various stakeholders need to come together to solve the challenges that confront agriculture in India.
Farmers need to choose crops that require less water, and we need to think about the health of our soil and how we can conserve water in agricultural processes.
We need to change our lifestyle and turn to agriculture as a lifestyle again to have a sustainable future and keep our planet secure.
Land ownership needs to become a reality for all, including small farmers, to bring about change in farming.
The Green Revolution in India led to an increase in agricultural productivity, but also caused environmental damage and social inequality.
The Bhoodan movement aimed to redistribute land to landless farmers, but there is still an imbalance.
Millet and organic farming are being promoted, but need to be adopted by everyone for real change.
Short-term thinking should not guide agricultural plans in India.
Investment in soil health, water conservation, and agrarian policies that prioritize farmers are needed.
Young people should be encouraged to participate in India's agricultural economy.