Integrated Transformation of Agriculture is an edited volume comprising 23 chapters with focus on the challenges and opportunities to agriculture in changing perception of global market and consumers' preference to food products. Publication From M/S, NIPA, New Delhi and Edited by Dr Jag Paul Sharma Director of Research, SKUAST- Jammu, India is excellent source book for policy makers, scientists and research scholars
Integrated Transformation of Agriculture is an edited volume comprising 23 chapters with focus on the challenges and opportunities to agriculture in changing perception of global market and consumers' preference to food products. Publication From M/S, NIPA, New Delhi and Edited by Dr Jag Paul Sharma Director of Research, SKUAST- Jammu, India is excellent source book for policy makers, scientists and research scholars
Integrated Transformation of Agriculture is an edited volume comprising 23 chapters with focus on the challenges and opportunities to agriculture in changing perception of global market and consumers' preference to food products. Publication From M/S, NIPA, New Delhi and Edited by Dr Jag Paul Sharma Director of Research, SKUAST- Jammu, India is excellent source book for policy makers, scientists and research scholars
Look at the food and nutritional security of human society of the 21st century
Agriculture is the lifeline of India as being central to food security, nutritional
security, poverty alleviation, socio-economic stability and sustainable development. Though contribution to nation’s GDP is 18% yet agriculture is the major profession providing employment to more than 58% households in rural India. Indian agriculture is vibrant, responding and gigantic enterprise with annual production of 285 million tons of food grains, 181 million tons of vegetables, 115 million tons of fruits, 25.3 million tons of pulses, 174 million tons of fresh milk, 74 billion of poultry eggs and11.5 million tons of fish. In spite of this, nutritional security to many and food security to 115 millions, targets of higher livestock and crop productivity, consumers’ demand for innovative agri-products and export orientation are yet to be achieved. This advocates factorial analysis of agriculture and renovations and reforms in earlier and present recommendations. Major factors impacting Indian agriculture comprise weather parameters, monsoon, irrigation patterns, crop and livestock nutrition, government policy (federal as well as state), commodity prices (global, national as well as local) and consumers’ preferences. The predictability as well as modeling of risks on above mentioned factors, is a herculean task. In fact, the number of factors impacting the viability of agriculture sector, as well as the volatility in the magnitude of these factors is increasing and thus, the sector requires integrated transformation for sustainable development and stable food security. The Indian agriculture sector is witnessing a massive transformation because of technological interventions and governmental initiatives. In the past three consecutive budgets, the agriculture sector has received special attention but this time the focus of the Indian Union Budget is on agribusiness and “agri-value” addition. In the Indian Union Budget 2018-19, the government has allocated Rs. 14.5 lakh crores ($222.4 billion) for the rural development and agriculture sector. Indian government has set a target to double farmers’ income by 2022. Indian finance minister has announced a number of initiatives, keeping the recommendations of the Doubling Farmers’ Income committee in mind, for example the decision to keep MSP (Minimum Support Price) for crops at least at one and- half times of their production cost. For those farmers who are not in a position to directly transact at APMCs (Agriculture Produce Market Committees) and other wholesale markets, the government has decided to develop and upgrade existing 22,000 rural haats into Gramin Agricultural Markets (GrAMs). These GrAMs will be electronically linked to e-NAM (Electronic National Agricultural Market, an online platform) to provide farmers with a facility to sell their produce directly to consumers. The government has launched with allocation Rs. 2600 crore ($360.8m.) Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, a national mission to improve farm productivity and ensure better utilization of the resources in the country, in 96 irrigation- deprived districts. In words of Indian Finance Minister “We consider agriculture to be an enterprise and want to help farmers produce more from the same land parcel at less cost, and simultaneously to realize higher prices for their produce”. To address the challenge of price volatility of perishable agricultural commodities, the finance minister has proposed launching a scheme called “Operation Greens.” This scheme will help bring farmers closer to the marketplace through better logistics, processing facilities and professional management. A sum of Rs. 500 crore ($75.2 million) is allocated for this purpose. Hence, a shift from agriculture to agripreneurship and agribusiness is the focus to revitalize Indian agriculture so that it becomes more receptive and remunerative venture for youths that has the potential to contribute to a range of social and economic developments such as employment generation, women empowerment, income generation, poverty reduction and improvements in nutrition, health and overall food security in the national economy. Nearly 40 crore women out of the total of 60 crore female population depend upon crop and animal husbandry, fisheries, forestry, agro-processing and agri-business for their livelihood. Moreover, agripreneurship ventures are seen to have a potential to promote job-led economic growth in rural areas by harnessing technologies for environmentally sustainable and socially equitable development which can provide a decent livelihood to women as well. Considering the existing scenario that two-thirds of the Indian population is employed in agriculture sector, agripreneurship and agribusiness stand out as imperatives for sustainable development and employment generation in the country. With this contention in mind, an attempt has been made through this volume entitled “Integrated Transformation of Agriculture with Special reference to India” to narrow down on the challenges related to agricultural transformation in India. Technological amalgamations required to upgrade agriculture to commercial form. Strategical deployment of innovations to transform agriculture into an attractive and profitable venture. In all, there are 23 chapters first one describes the bottlenecks and gaps in the form of challenges that one needs to know while thinking of futuristic plans. Chapter 2nd elaborates technologies that brought green revolution while third one focuses on technologies that deserve priority if transformation in agriculture is desired. In view of small holdings, contract farming is important which is enumerated in chapter 4. Due emphasis is placed on livestock farming through zoonotic diseases control, strategic parasite management and dairying at chapters 5, 8 and 15. Innovative approaches like ICTs interventions, climate smart agriculture, seed priming, biochar, organic agriculture and integrated farming system are appropriately dealt in chapter no 6, 7, 10, 13, 14 and 17. Horticulture and marketing aspects are covered in chapter no 11, 12 and 9 and hi-tech agronomy in chapter no 22. Weather forecasting, remote sensing and agro-advisory relevance is discussed in chapter no 16 and 18. Last chapter but not the least, is on organic agriculture as an entrepreneurship for women empowerment and socio-economic transformation which discusses the compatibility and suitability of organic agriculture to women entrepreneurs. The book is a complete basket for designing agriculture for Integrated Transformation particularly in context of developing countries like India. As depicted pictorial that all three primary sectors of agriculture namely crop production, livestock farming and horticulture have to contribute the collectively in a integrated way for development of secondary agriculture (a wholly product development approach comprising post harvest, processing and value addition) inferring that there has to be strategic shift from produce to product development. For sustainable development of agriculture next evolution is desired in product diversity which is demand of consumers and market both at national and international levels. It is expected in due course of time tertiary agriculture will emerge as a one of the focused and remunerative in area in agriculture and the tertiary agriculture is area of developing ready to serve products in fresh or packed or frozen forms. I hope publishers M/S NIPA, New Delhi will take care to make available economy edition for the welfare of students. Dated: 10-05-2019 Jag Paul Sharma Editor