Mains Practice Questions

Approach

• Start with what is meant by ‘Post-modern agriculture’.
• Discuss its need in the present time and strategy to achieve it.
• Conclude suitably.

Introduction

The postmodern approach to agriculture is premised on sustainability i.e Sustainable Agriculture (SA). It makes use of most modern technology and integrates modern management methodologies, it is also involved with producing agricultural products of high economic value.

Body

Need For Postmodern Approach to Agriculture

• Negative Consequences of Green Revolution:
  
  • In tripling foodgrain production, nitrogenous fertiliser use went up 10-fold in India, with increasing application of agrochemicals and growing dependence on fossil fuel energy.
  • 18% of greenhouse gas emissions in the country are from agriculture.
  • Plagued by rapidly receding groundwater aquifers and 35% land degradation, our soil organic matter content is among the lowest in Asia.
  • Monocultures of wheat and rice are displacing the diversity of traditional farming systems.
  • Genetic homogeneity has been detrimental to nutrition while enhancing vulnerability to biotic and abiotic stresses
• Prospects of Sustainable agriculture (SA): It counters monocultural production models.
  
  • Its essence is embedded in the heralding of the Second Green Revolution or Evergreen Revolution.
  • There are various farming systems today for enhancing agricultural output with less land, water and energy. Their techniques enhance productivity while restoring soil fertility, replenishing water quality, improving biodiversity and maintaining inter-generational equity.

Strategy in Build Up to Post-modern Agriculture

• Agroforestry: Agroforestry’s 25 million hectares of tree-based farming systems provide fruit, fodder, fuel, fibre and timber while enriching the ecology through nutrient recycling, carbon storage, biodiversity preservation, soil and water conservation.
• Conservation Agriculture (CA): It addresses low efficiency use of water, nutrients and energy.
  
  • Its practices include zero tillage, laser levelling, crop sequencing, precision irrigation, use of stress-tolerant and climate-resilient varieties, and retention of crop residues as opposed to burning.
• Zero-Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF): It has a back-to-the-basics approach where chemical-free farming with leguminous intercrops uses traditional in situ botanical extracts and livestock wastes to improve soil fertility and crop productivity while controlling cultivation costs.
• Organic farming: It is being practiced in only 2% of the net cultivated area. The National Programme for Organic Production accounts for 70% of coverage. Sikkim was declared an organic state in 2016.
• Other Sustainable Agriculture practices include Systems of Rice Intensification (SRI), climate-smart agriculture, permaculture, regenerative agriculture, biodynamic cultivation, vertical farming and hydroponics, though on a small scale.

Conclusion

• Postmodern agriculture needs to be scientifically propelled. Biotechnology, nanotechnology, Artificial Intelligence, remote sensing, communication technology and such frontier disciplines will promote resource-efficiency. Management at the level of agricultural landscapes and watersheds will be increasingly relevant.
• The multifunctional character of agriculture with its economic, environmental and social dimensions is already coming to the centre-stage.