Feel-good factor and rural areas

M.S Swaminathan

Attention should go to steps that can extend the feel-good factor to rural women and men.

The much-talked-about ‘feel-good factor’ among the economically privileged sections of our
urban population should not blind us to the fact that we have the largest number of poor and
undernourished children, women and men in the world a majority of who live in villages.
Accelerated agricultural progress based on the principle of sustainable intensification value-added
and diversification is the best safety net against hunger and poverty in rural areas. Therefore,
priority attention should go to steps that can extend the feel-good factor to rural women and men
through mutually re-enforcing packages of technology, techno-infrastructure, credit and input
supply services and public policies and producer-oriented marketing. the substantial allocation
announced by the Finance Minister for the rural sector needs to be used to strengthen the livelihood
security of the rural poor and the ecological security of rural areas.

Job famine is now becoming our most serious socio-economic and socio-political challenge. 70%
of our population is still rural. Environmentally sustainable advances in the productibility and
profitability of major farming systems will help to generate both livelihood and income. Achieving
productivity improvement in perpetuity without associated ecological harm in all major agro-
economic systems (irrigated and dry farming areas, hill zones, coastal zones, arid areas and islands)
a phenomenon I termed as “ever green revolution” many years ago, is the need of the hour. The
smaller the farm the greater is the need for marketable surplus so that the farmer can earn some
cash income. The following are some steps that will be useful in this context.

Inter-state conflicts in relation to jobs have started in addition to conflicts relating to water.
Ongoing employment schemes in rural areas relate largely to unskilled, manual work. We need to
achieve a rapid transition from unskilled on-farm to skilled off-farm work through greater
emphasis in the areas of post-harvest technology and value addition to primary products and
biomass. Farmers will produce more if we can consume more. Further progress in agriculture will
be directly proportional to the progress in post-harvest technology, crop diversification and value
addition. At least a third of the landless labour families need to be provided value-added non-farm
livelihood opportunities if the nation is to become poverty free. The impediments to ongoing
projects such as food parks, agribusiness center, bio-technology parks, Agri clinics, small farmers’
agribusiness consortiums need to b identified and removed. The programmes of the National
Horticulture Development Board need strengthening. The Rural Godowns Scheme also needs to
be implemented with greater vigor with adequate attention to the storage of perishable farm
commodities.

Livestock and livelihood are closely interconnected in the country since ownership of livestock
are more egalitarian. Feed and fodder are the major limiting factors in enhancing farm animal
productivity. Tamil Nadu has become a leader in egg and broiler production. There is therefore a
growing demand for feed. We should establish a Livestock Feed Warehousing Corporation, which
could support the establishment of feed and fodder banks operated by self- help groups (SHG).
Without such support, landless labour families will not be able to take up animal husbandry to
supplement income.

The United Nations has designated 2004 as the International Year of Rice (IRY). We have the
largest area under rice in the world. In addition to grain, the rice crop produces over 200 million
tonnes of biomass each year (straw, barn and husk). During the last International Year of Rice
(1966), the Government of India had nominated me as the Convenor of the programme. We
organized 1000 National Demonstrations in rice. In the fields of small farmers during that year,
which yielded on an average five tonnes per hectare. At that time our major emphasis was on
improving productivity and production. Now, our major concern is increasing employment and
income. Therefore, I suggest that during 2004 we commemorated IRY by facilitating the
organization of 1000 Rice Refineries, about one in each block where rice is an important crop. The
Rice Refineries should be designed to produce market-driven value-added products from every
part of the rice plant. This scheme could be operated by NABARD like the agribusiness center
programme. It will be successful only if there are backward linkages with markets are lateral
linkages among SHGs to generate the power of scale in the production and marketing ends of the
enterprise. We have over 110 million farming families. All the Organisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries including the United States have 10 million
farming families, for whom they provide support of over $1billion a day. Affordable credit is the
most important need of small and marginal farmers.
There is an urgent need for expanding the coverage of Kisan credit cards linked to both health and
crop insurance. The State Bank of India has a life insurance scheme linked to Kisan Credits Card.
A farm credit-cum-crop and health insurance consortium consisting of NABARD. SBI,
Agriculture Insurance Company of India and other appropriate organisations may be formed to
promote an integrated programme of agricultural credit and human and crop health insurance. The
recent introduction of an agricultural Income Insurance Scheme on a pilot basis is a step in the
right direction. This scheme should be extended to cover all the farming families by the end of the
10th Plan.

We need urgently greater progress in improving the productivity, profitability, quality and
sustainability of our major cropping systems. Besides attention to irrigation water, there is a need
for launching a national movement for safeguarding soil health and for improving soil fertility.
Particular attention is needed to overcome “hidden hunger” in our soils caused by the deficiency
of micronutrients such as zinc, manganese, iron, sulfur, and boron. Deficiencies of micro-nutrients
in the soil are reducing the return from macronutrients like N.P and K. Every farm family could
be given a Kisan soil health card, indicating the fertility status of the soil and the steps needed to
improve soil fertility and productivity. This can be done by Agri clinic operated by self-employed
farm graduates.

Interest in precision farming is gaining ground among our farmers. The High-Level Committee for
Micro Irrigation headed by the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh has suggested ways of producing
more crops per drop of water. Demand management should receive as much attention as
augmentation of supplies. Similarly, a Task Force chaired by me for harnessing agricultural
biotechnology will be submitting its report shortly. We should promote the safe and responsible
use of biotechnology in agriculture. It can help breed crop varieties resistant to abiotic stresses
such as drought and salinity. There is also a need for intensive research on bioremediation
techniques and solar desalination.

The Government of India has designated 2004 as the year for scientific awareness. We should
launch a well-planned awareness generation programme relating to pesticides residues and water
conservation and quality parameter. Genetic (genetically modified crops, Protection of Plant
Varieties and Farmers’ Right Act) and trade (WTO agreement in Agriculture) literacy movements
can be launched by local bodies during this year. Genome club should also be organized in school
to sensitize youth on the implications of the emerging age of genomics, protcomics and
nanotechnology.

Seawater constitutes 97 percent of global water supplies. Mahatma Gandhi wanted these social
resources to be used for the poor. Seawater Farming for Coastal Area prosperity involving the
following components is being launched by MSSRF (M.S Swaminathan Research Foundation) on
a pilot scale. (i) Cultivation of mangroves, Salicornia, Atriplex and other halophytes. (ii)Culture
of prawns/ shrimps in the canals, following low externals inputs sustainable aquaculture (LEISA)
techniques (iii) Creation of nonfarm employment based on aqua-products and organising coastal
bio-village for this purpose. Such a programme should cover all coastal wastelands.

Currently our pesticide standards are not based on Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) as it is done
across the world. Standards for pesticides residues in food or beverages need not be based solely
on Codex of European Union or U.S Standards. We should use the global standards as benchmarks
to set our standards keeping in mind the Indian diet and trade interests. Enforcement mechanisms
are needed to ensure that pesticides residues remain below the stipulated levels. In the case of food
and water quality, there should be double standards-one for the foreign and another for the Indian
consumer. There should be no compromise on food and water safety and quality.

Social exclusion is the root cause of discord and conflicts. We need urgent steps to make social
inclusion in relation to sharing the benefits of developing the basic pathway to a national feel-good
movement.