The Indian Governments Role in Promotion of Green Agriculture in India

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The Indian Governments Role in Promotion of
Green Agriculture in India

• Emerging Asia
• This links with WJEC A2 Geography Theme
• India.
• 1.2 How and why is the economy changing ?
  Changes in traditional agriculture

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Increasing Investments

• As part of the 10th Five year Plan, the
  Government of India has aimed to promote organic
  agriculture in the country.
• The main components of this initiative include
  farming of standards, negotiating with different
  countries and putting in place a system of
  certification for organic products.

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Bio-fertilisers

• Central Government is also promoting the
  production and use of bio-fertilizer to make it
  popular.
• The Government has initiated a project National
  Project on Development and Use of Bio
  fertilizers for this purpose.

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APEDA

• Some of the efforts towards promotion of organic
  exports include attempts to collaborate with all
  the major organic importing countries.
• APEDA is the nodal agency to promote the Indian
  organic agriculture and its exports
  opportunities.

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The Greening of Indian Agriculture

• Towards this APEDA is deliberating with European
  Union for inclusion of India in the list of Third
  World countries
• Some of the drivers that facilitate growth of
  organic agriculture in India are
• Growing export market for organically produced
  crops
• Price premium for organically produced
  agriculture products from10 to 100

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Factors driving organic farming

• Diverse agro-climate regions across the country
  that provides environment for wide range of crops
  that can cater to different market demands.
• Increasing awareness health consciousness
  especially among certain sectors of domestic
  consumers.
• Availability of comparatively cheap labour for
  labour-intensive organic agriculture
• Huge numbers of small farmers, those who do the
  traditional farming have very limited capacity to
  pay for most of the chemical inputs into
  agriculture
• Presence of Non-Government Organizations (NGOs)
  as active promoters of organic farming in
  different agro-climatic regions

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Factors driving organic farming

• Increasing involvement of private companies in
  field of agricultural extension, trade,
  consultation and other services
• Enhanced government attention and support for
  organic agriculture through various policy
  initiations and action programs.

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Constraining factorsProducers/Distributors/Trad
ers point of view

• Lack of proper infrastructure for distribution
  and conservation of bio-inputs is a major
  constraint that hinders the access of these
  inputs to farmers.
• Some climatic regions and soil conditions are not
  suitable for specific strains of organic
  production.

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Constraining factorsFarmers point of view

• Given the mandated period of around three years
  for a conventional farm to become an organic
  farm, the benefits perceived by farmers tend to
  be limited as they have a short term orientation.
  
• As a result even if they are aware, they are
  hesitant to switch over to organic (green)
  agricultural practices.

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The government perspective

• Changing the cropping and cultivation patterns is
  slow and time-consuming process.
• Given the high levels of illiteracy and large
  number of small and marginal farmers it makes the
  change process difficult.
• Subsidies on chemical fertilizers and pesticide
  impede the growth of organic agriculture.

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Discussion points

• What arguments are there in favour of organic
  agriculture in India?
• What vested interests would oppose the growth of
  organic agricultures and why?
• What strategies could be employed to further
  promote the greening of agriculture in India?