Indian agriculture has to now find ways to solve the country’s hunger problem. From feeding the growing numbers to ensuring affordable and nutritious food, it also has to urgently address the problem of dwindling resources and work towards their conservation.

On the Edge

The world population is expected to reach 8.0 billion by 2025, and 90% of this would reside in the developing countries. Meeting the food security needs of this burgeoning population and alleviating the burden of famers will be the biggest challenges for policy makers in our country. Despite systems in place for public distribution and rationing to the economically weaker sections, over 300 million people below the poverty line go to bed hungry. These alarming numbers highlight the dismal state of our agriculture. We have harvested the gains of our green revolution, but for achieving the goals of new millennia and cutting down hunger, we need to work for an agriculture system which has a strong foundation in sustainable practices.

With increased pressure on limited land and water resources, boosting crop yields is crucial to meet our present and future food needs and conserve the environment. Technology-based agriculture is the solution for future in the face of unpredictable climate, increased crop losses to pests.

The inability to raise crop productivity will lead to rise in food prices, which even if contained with short-term measures, translates to people cutting back on their basic food needs. These cut-backs can have severe consequences and long term effects on diet and lifestyle, contributing to chronic malnutrition particularly in the bottom 30% of the population.

Leaving crop cultivation and the food and nutritional security vulnerable to such imminent threats will be a blunder. Time to act is now, to ensure we invest in research for future technologies, leverage developments in science and ensure we address the issues of abysmal productivity. Responsible use of biotechnology and modernising Indian agriculture are the prerequisites for safeguarding the country’s borderline hungry and helping farmers reap socio-economic benefits.

The success of Bt Cotton after its introduction in 2002 ushered in enthusiasm in the biotech-enhanced crops area. Disease resistance and superior productivity are the qualities of Bt Cotton which accrued enormous economic and social benefits to the farmers and propelled the country as the second largest producer and exporter in the world.

Sustainable Revolution

Building on the successful examples of Bt cotton, we need to continually work and invest in the best of plant biotechnology to provide significant and tangible benefits to farmers, consumers and our environment at large. Biotechnology is one option which can improve quality of food by providing pest free crops, supplement farmers’ incomes by decreasing pesticide dependence and produce higher marketable yields. At the same time, it can potentially help protect our environment by reducing the dependence on chemical control methods for pests and diseases.

Government agencies, agricultural bodies and the private sector should come together to drive research in a number of key areas. These would be developing crops which enhance productivity while growing with less water (water use efficient crops), less fertilizer (particularly Nitrogen and Phosphorus), ability to grow in high salinity areas and the ability to withstand pest attacks. This will give the farmer high yielding varieties/hybrids less prone to adverse environmental conditions. Agriculture and experts will have to take a balanced approach and seek the interventions possible with agribiotechnology to help ensure food security in a sustainable manner.