Final agriculture world 2015 by Krishi Jagran

AGRICULTURE

W RLD

Volume I I Issue 1 I Jan-2015 I ` 70

Laws of Nature Agro-Business Indian Seed Industry Agriculture: No More a Man's World

Echoing Sustainable Environment and Agriculture

AGRICULTURE WORLD AGRICULTURE WORLD Editor Director Sr. Executive‐Editor Executive Editor Associate Editor Head‐Research Services Head‐Content Development Research Assistant Junior Research Assistant Admin Head Head‐Marketing DGM Sr. Manager‐Marketing Manager‐Marketing

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M.C. Dominic Shiny Emanuel M.G. Vasan Dr. K.T. Chandy G.S. Saini S.S. Dogra Abhijeet Banerjee Kumud Upadhaya Nishant Kr. Taak Hrituparna Banerjee Jayanti Das Chetram P.S. Saini Farha Khan K.J. Saranya Mehak Ali Namita Shrivastava Pratibha Joshi Bhatt Pratima Joshi Ritika Kotiyal Sara Khan Sarla Singh Sarita Singh Jyoti Sharma Megha Sharma Afsana Malik Sujata Gautam Chunki Bhutia Many Pradhan Dolly Singh Sanjay Kumar Rahul Singh Harashankar Mandal Sukumar Dalai Dharmendra Kumar Yogesh Kumar Devendra Singh Perm Kumar Raju Jana

IN THIS ISSUE Laws of Nature.....................................................................04 Agro-Business......................................................................11 Indian Seed Industry............................................................13 Agriculture: No More a Man's World....................................16 Promoting Skill Development in Indian Agriculture..............17 Technologies Crucial for Sustainable Agriculture................22

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Editorial

ne who controls the food business controls the world. In the present globalized world, agriculture is no more an annual farm or household food produc on and consump on affair, but an interna onally industrialized complex business involving all kinds of agri‐ commodi es, moving criss‐cross the world linking financial ins tu ons, poli cal and policy making structures and marke ng organiza ons. Obviously, present agriculture moves forward on the economic and socio‐poli cal rails. At the same me, everything in agriculture is an everyday business for everybody. Warning signals are already in the air that future wars will be fought for food and water. However, the ul mate guiding principles of global agriculture are based on certain natural environmental laws, which are highlighted in the ar cle by Dr. K. T. Chandy on ''Laws of Nature for Sustainable Environment and Agriculture''. Can anyone at the micro of macro level, go against these immutable dictates of our mother nature, which has never been flashed neither at the farmer's level or at the interna onal levels like WTO, UN, FAO, G‐*, G‐20, BRIC, etc. as enunciated in the this ar cle. Agri‐business has its own shackles like many other business in the world. Pricing and export policies are most prominent among them. Giving examples of sugar, rice and edible oil in the ar cle on ''Unshackle the Agro‐ Business from short term quick fixes'' by Tejinder Narang highlighted the shackles in agribusiness. The microscopic aspect of the globalized agriculture is the seed, the smallest bundle of gene c material and prime ma er for any crop produc on ac vity. The seed is no more in the hands of the farmer, but it is with the mul na onal companies guided by the world business regula ng bodies like WTO and other policy making bodies. The ar cle on " Economic and Poli cal Significance of Indian Seed Industry'' by Vijay Sardana highlights various aspect of seed industry in India which is the cradle of many crops and related bio‐diversi es. Like in every other field, the gender aspect in agriculture is being highlighted in the ar cle on "Agriculture: No More a Man's World" by Dr K C Ravi, emphasizing the role of women in agriculture not as mere workers, but as equal business partners. Agriculture is linking women globally. Hence, the colour and tenor of global agri‐business will be counter‐poised by gender aspects. In any produc on and marke ng business, the role of technology is crucial. Skill development at every level of opera ons in produc on, processing and marke ng (PPM) is emphasized by the head of Bayer CropScience, Joerg Rehbein. Bayer's set of capacity building and training ac vi es include more than thousands of field demonstra ons on farm training and field days, workshops, SMS call advisory and most importantly: on farm consultancy. As in every other field, agribusiness has to be rooted in the latest scien fic knowledge, grow and fruc fy in ever expanding technical know‐how's. The role of the theore cal and prac cal research and technology development can never be overemphasized. Indian Agriculture employs about 51% of the 1.23 billion popula on. Infact, the introduc on of advanced techniques in agriculture has changed the face of Indian Agriculture. Dr. Devraj Arya explains in his ar cle‐'' Technologies Crucial for Sustainable Agriculture'', the importance and benefits of the usage of technologies in agriculture. Hope Agriculture World will ini ate a discussion and debate on the various issues of global agri‐business‐culture which is the fulcrum of global economy. M C Dominic Editor‐in‐Chief

Laws of Nature for Sustainable Environment and Agriculture

LAWS OF NATURE FOR SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT AND AGRICULTURE

nything done in agriculture and allied occupa ons aﬀect directly the whole environment. Hence, we cannot think of agriculture without thinking about environment. Today we also know that most of the environmental problems are man‐ made due to over exploita on and mismanagement of natural resources. People all over the world have become very conscious of the problems related to environmental degrada on. At the same me it is high me to realize that there are some unwri en “Laws of the Nature” based on which environment management and developmental programs have to be planned and implemented. This is an a empt to highlight those laws. Each law is enunciated in bold type followed by a short explana on. st

1 Law: Understand that on the surface of the earth, there is an op mum ra o of 3:1 exists between the area under water and the area under land and man shall not alter this propor on signiﬁcantly in his management prac ces of land and water resources on the surface of the

earth. Land/soil‐water‐combina on forms the base for all the living things on the earth. The biggest water body on the surface of the earth is sea which itself covers about 70% of the surface of the area of the earth. Besides sea, there are other water bodies like lakes, reservoirs, ponds, marshy lands, swamps, mangroves, river systems etc. on the land area, which make up 5% more. Hence all the inland water bodies should be protected and preserved. All the rivers and streams should have a protec ve belt of forests on both sides at least as wide as the river or stream itself. Similar protec ve forests should be maintained all around the lakes and reservoirs. 2nd Law: The propor on of perennial forest area earmarked to the non‐forest area on the earth as a whole or in a con nent or a country or a state or in a small watershed area, should also be maintained at 3:1 ra o. This compulsory forest area will include all the areas above 33.3% or 15 degree slope.

JAN 2015 | AGRICULTURE WORLD | Issue-1

There was a me the whole land area was under forest and people and animals lived in the forest and depended on it for their necessi es. Gradually humans began clearing the forest for cul va on, habita on, urbaniza on, ins tu onaliza on and industrializa on. Today most of the countries in the world do not even have 30% of the area under forest. The 3:1 ra o of forest and non‐forest area is the fundamental and underlying principle in the preserva on of our environment system. Countries like Japan and Netherland maintain nearly 75% of the area under perennial forest. 3rd Law: The land use pa ern for agriculture and forestry related ac vi es are strictly governed by the degree or percentage of the slope of the land: greater the slope of the land more should be the perennial nature of the forest or vegeta ve cover it should have. Remember anything done in forestry, agriculture, and animal husbandry inﬂuences directly on the environment.

www.krishijagran.com Some broad direc ves of land use pa ern under this law are given in table 1 as follows. Slope can be measured in percentage or degree. Percentage of slope is es mated using the formula ver cal height/horizontal length x 100 (V/H x 100) = % of slope). The degree of slope varies from 0 to 90. Hence 100% slope is equivalent to 90 degree slope and one per cent slope = 0.45 degree or one degree is equal to 2.225 per cent slope. Both the degree and percentage of slope men oned in the table 1 are in downward trend whereas the ra o of height to length of the slope follows an upward trend.

on land as well as in water. Overuse or destruc on of any living or nonliving thing will result in the destruc on of mankind. 5th. Law: Agricultural land should never be converted into non‐ agricultural usage. If you do that you shall experience acute food shortage. The term agriculture is used in its broadest sense. A er allo ng 75% of the land for the perennial forest, only 25% percent of the land is le for human usage: both for agriculture and for non‐agriculture purposes. Each country should decide propor on of land used for agriculture and non‐ agriculture purposes. At the same me with careful planning even some of the forest area can be used for non agricultural purposes, provided the forests are maintained.

4th. Law: Preserve all the ﬂora and fauna both on the land and in the water. All the living things in nature are the result of millions and millions of years of evolu on of which humans are the end product. In other words everything on earth is oriented towards human welfare. Hence we should preserve all the ﬂora and fauna

6th Law: All agricultural land should be structured permanently for be er management. They should be structured permanently in such a way that

No.

V/H ra o ( /mt)1

%of slope (V/Hx100)2 (downward)

Degree of slope (downward)

1:<1

>100%

>45.00o

Under perennial natural forests,

1:1‐2

100‐50%

45‐22.5o

Under perennial natural forests,

1:2‐3

50‐33.3%

22.5‐15o

Under perennial natural forests,

maximum soil and water conserva on is ensured. Any runoﬀ water on it should be collected into non permeable ponds or any such water collec on structures for future use in the farm. At present almost all the farm lands are unstructured and most of the farmers never think of structuring their farm lands permanently. Every year they do all farm opera ons in their tradi onal ways in which soil fer lity management is almost impossible. Whereas in a structured farm, all the plots will be of regular shape and deﬁnite area, made within the space between well laid out paths and irriga on channels; approaches to each and every plot for humans, animals or farm machines are clearly laid out; similarly irriga on inlets and drainage outlets into and from each plot is well structured so that each plot can be irrigated or drained separately without interfering into the other plots; the management of soil structure, texture, lth and fer lity is given special a en on and all the

Types of recommended land uses

1:3‐4

33.3‐25%

15‐11.2

Planted forests for commercial purpose

1:4‐5

25‐20%

11.2‐9.0o

Planted forests for commercial purpose

1:5‐6

20‐16.25%

9‐7.50o

Fruit trees, planta on crops, fuel wood and mber trees, any perennial crop

1:6‐7

16.2‐14.3%

7.5‐6.4o

Fruit trees, planta on crops, fuel wood and mber trees, any perennial crop

1:7‐8

14.28‐12.5

6.4‐6.2o

Fruit trees, planta on crops, fuel wood and mber trees, any perennial crop

1:8‐9

12.5‐11.1

6.2‐5.0

Fruit trees, planta on crops, fuel wood and mber trees, any perennial crop

1:9‐10

11.1‐10

5.0‐4.5o

Fruit trees, planta on crops, fuel wood and mber trees, any perennial crop

1:10‐15

10‐6.6

4.5‐3.0o

Least broad terraced cul va on of un‐irrigated seasonal, annual & biannual crops,

1:15‐20

6.6‐5

3.0‐2.2o

Lesser broad terraced cul va on of un‐irrigated seasonal, annual & biannual crops

1:20‐25

5‐4

2.2‐1.8o

Less broad terraced cul va on of crops, seasonal, annual, annual & biannual crops,

1:25‐30

4‐3.33

1.8‐1.5o

Broad terraced Irrigated crops, seasonal, annual, annual & biannual crops,

1:30‐35

3.33‐2.85

1.4‐1.3o

Broad terraced Irrigated crops, seasonal, annual, annual & biannual crops,

1:35‐40

2.85‐2.5

1.2‐1.1

Broad terraced Irrigated crops, seasonal, annual, annual & biannual crops,

1:40‐45

2.5‐2.22

1.1‐.9o

Wide terraced Irrigated crops, seasonal, annual & biannual crops,

1:45‐50

2.22‐2.0

0.99‐0.9o

Wide terraced Irrigated crops, seasonal, annual & biannual crops,

19.

1:50‐100

2‐1.0

0.9‐0.45o

Wide terraced Irrigated crops, seasonal, annual & biannual crops,

1:50‐100

01‐ <1

0.9‐0.45o

Wide terraced Irrigated crops, seasonal, annual & biannual crops,

21 22

1:>100

<01 Well Leveled land

<0.45

Ponds, aqua‐culture, check dams etc. Rain water storage, impounded water.

JAN 2015 | AGRICULTURE WORLD | Issue-1

Laws of Nature for Sustainable Environment and Agriculture agricultural land should be converted into organic manure and should be incorporated into the soil to maintain it's produc vity. Hence nothing of any organic ma er should be burned except ﬁrewood for fuel purposes, the disease infected materials of plants, animals and human beings. In many countries ca le dung mixed with straw is used as fuel. Such burning of any organic material is totally against ecological principles and prac ces in the management of soil.

opera ons in the farm becomes easier. The plots are laid out for irrigated, un‐ irrigated, seasonal, annual and perennial crops, the soil in each plot will be maintained in the op mum produc ve condi on; applica on of manures and fer lizers can be performed more eﬃciently and the maintenance of the soil fer lity becomes easier; the movements of people, animals and farm machineries becomes easier, all the farm opera ons and movements in the farm become easier and takes less me. 7th Law: The structured farm lands should never be subjected to law of inheritance to divide and subdivide endlessly genera on a er genera on. A structured farm operates like an organic body or a compact machine. Separate any organ from a human or animal body, it will not func on; or remove part from a machine, the machine will not work. Similarly a well structured farm should not be divided and subdivided under any circumstance. At present, the law of inheritance prac ced in many parts of the world divides and subdivides the farm land into smaller landholdings. One family owns several pieces of land at diﬀerent loca ons. Ul mately the family that owns them cannot cul vate or will not cul vate as they do not yield any income; it will be a

loss to cul vate such small pieces of land. The present law of inheritance is contrary to the principles of ecological farm management. In many countries the family‐holding is not divided, but one of the children inherits it and takes care of it con nuing the system already established, while other children will look for other jobs. Therefore, all the farm land will have con nuity in the management of all the opera ons. Similar should be the prac ce in all the other farm related enterprises like ﬁsheries and aquaculture, dairy farming, beef ca le farming, pig farming, poultry farming, forestry etc. Any farm land should be part of a watershed system; and even a single farm may be part of one or more watershed system. In any farm related opera on the organic ma er cycle and water cycle should be established and maintained in order to maintain the eco‐system of the farm in a vibrant and produc ve condi on. 8th Law: Organic and water cycle should be established in every farm holdings. “Organic ma er is the soul of the soil”; just as a body without soul is dead, so too soil without organic ma er will remain lifeless and unproduc ve. Hence all the organic ma er generated within any

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There are several methods of conver ng the biomass into organic manure. Compos ng refers generally to natural method of recycling the organic material. Pit and silo methods are the ones usually employed in the rural and semi urban areas. Silo method of compos ng is more suitable both in arid and rainfall areas. There are also several other industrial and mechanical methods of recycling the organic materials and other wastes. Adopt any method which is most suitable to the place and people. The point is that all the organic ma er generated anywhere in a country/state/district/block/village/ farm/ household should be converted into organic manure. 9th Law: All the bio‐mass or organic material generated within a speciﬁc rural and agricultural land area should be converted into organic manure, which should be incorporated into the cul vated soil. The organic ma er is the soul of the soil. Just like a dead body of a human being the soil becomes lifeless and unproduc ve when it is lacking in organic ma er. In order to maintain the soil in higher level of produc vity and sustainability organic ma er is an essen al component in the cul vated soil. Even if one is using the recommended dose of fer lizers use of organic manures is essen al to maintain sustainable produc vity of the soil. 10th Law: All the urban and industrial organic and non organic wastes whether, chemical, medical, in liquid or solid form should be treated

www.krishijagran.com to remove all the harmful substances before recycling them into their reusable byproducts. Never allow any liquid or solid wastes into river systems or into fresh water inland lake systems and even into the seas. There are technologies available to recycle all the plas c wastes, any type of metal wastes, glass wastes and medical and slaughter house and ﬁsh market wastes. The resultant liquid por on from the organic waste management should be collected and packed into salable form to be used as liquid manure. Household level segrega on of waste should be made compulsory in every residen al areas. Similarly healthy and safe disposal of wastes should be made compulsory in any ins tu on or industry. 11th Law: Use more and more renewable sources of energy like bio‐ gas, solar, wind and dal waves instead of the fossil sources. Common people should be producers of energy contribu ng to the na onal grid instead of being only consumers. We have proved technologies in the use of solar, wind, biogas and dal wave energy. Construc on of small or large scale energy produc on and distribu on systems should be promoted among the people as their livelihood occupa ons. The surplus electrical energy generated should be made available to the na onal grid. Similarly solar energy should be used for cooking food and for hea ng water. At present all these are op onal; the proposal of 'Agriculture World' is that it should be made mandatory through policy decision in every country.

examples water stored thousands and millions of years. Water should be stored in the absence of sunlight even if it has contact with air. Even in the scanty rainfall areas of Rajasthan rain water storage and use of the same is an ancient prac ce. What is needed, such prac ces should be improved and promoted among the people. Besides, judicious use of water should be made mandatory. 13th Law: Healthy popula on is an essen al component of a healthy environment. Healthy nutri on and healthy environment are the two necessary condi ons for a healthy popula on. Unhealthy and irra onally behaving popula on is a dead weight on the eco‐system. a. It is an established fact that most of the sicknesses and low body resistance to various diseases is due to under or mal‐nourishment or under‐nourishment. It is an irony that both the rich and poor are landing up in the same hospital, the former for overea ng and the la er for under‐nourishment. The problem starts at the me of concep on and con nues ll to the death of an individual. Both among the rich and poor regular and suﬃcient amount of vegetable consump on is rare. The cereals and millets provide the people with energy while the pulses, meat, ﬁsh etc. give protein. But

vegetables and fruits provide the vitamins and minerals which are equally important to energy and protein. All the amino acids and micro‐ nutrients are very much essen al for the brain development and mental capacity building. There are 14 vitamins and 24 minerals that are required for the human body. They are available mostly in vegetables and fruits only. As a thumb rule we can say that one should consume at least one handful each of cooked leafy vegetable, root vegetable and vegetables other than leafy and root types. In addi on, everyone should consume one handful each of pieced fruits and salad. For the proper nutri on, one should consume all the locally available vegetable and fruits and not eat only according to his/her likes and dislikes. 14th Law: Excessive commercializa on of food and sex degrades and degenerate humanity and goes totally against a healthy and vibrant popula on. Commercialized food known as junk food degenerates the physical and mental health of the people while commercializa on of sex and womanhood degenerates social and moral life of the people. A ra onal human approach to food and sex is necessary for ensuring a healthy popula on which is a pre‐ requisite for maintaining a well‐ balanced ecosystem. An emo onally

12th Law: Facili es for collec on, storage and use of rain water should be part of the construc on of every roof tops in the residen al, ins tu onal and industrial complexes. Water stored in the absence of light or air or both will remain potable for hundreds of years or forever. In many countries people are s ll doub ng about the potability of such stored water. All the water sources under the surface of the earth are JAN 2015 | AGRICULTURE WORLD | Issue-1

Laws of Nature for Sustainable Environment and Agriculture

charged hedonis c approach will only degenerate the human mind and a popula on with degenerated mind is a dead weight on the ecoâ&#x20AC;?system. God set man as the master and ruler of the earth and everything in it. If the master and ruler himself is sick and disoriented how can a healthy ecoâ&#x20AC;?system be created and maintained? Food and sex are interrelated in such a way that life is impossible without either of them. Food is for preserva on of life while sex is for preserva on of humanity. Both are so sacred in human life that engaging in one or the other is a holy act. Promiscuous behavior in any of these basic human needs is highly harmful to humanity and consequently to environment. This is a more serious issue than human morality. 15th Law: In terms of popula on na ons should maintain the carrying capacity of the naturally available cul vable or produc ve land area or the renewable income genera ng

resources. Carrying capacity per unit area of land was originally deďŹ ned as the average number of ca le heads that can be maintained on a given piece of grazing land. The same principle should be applied in the case of human beings in the case food and other consumable items. The available land area in the nature cannot support endless number of people on the earth. This problem is becoming crucial at a me when the popula on in certain countries is increasing beyond its capacity to produce enough food for them. We also have to recognize that a given land area has limita ons in producing any food item. Overpopula on is a dead weight on the environment. 16th Law: Human life has two main aspects: 1) Existence 2) Development. Of these Existence is prior to development. In human life existence without development is meaningless; but development without existence is impossible.

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Existence implies both physical and mental; Development also consists in physical as well as mental. World agriculture aims to promote be er and fuller human life both in existence and development. Ar cles in World Agriculture aim to promote fuller Existence and Development for all humans in a healthy and congenial environment. 17th Law: Both human existence and development have to be taken care together. Human life has two main aspects: 1) Existence 2) Development. of these, Existence is prior to development. In human life, Existence without Development is meaningless; but Development without Existence is impossible. Existence implies both physical and mental; Development also consists in physical as well as mental. Every one aims to promote be er and fuller human life both in existence and development. Implemen ng

www.krishijagran.com necessary for a sustained educa on up to gradua on. Only then he can think of ge ng a produc ve and proﬁtable enough employment. Only then we can have a sustainable environment and development. This sequences material and nonmaterial requirements for existence and development cannot be bypassed by the developmentalists. 18th Law: Humans should lead a Peaceful Co‐existence with nature and promote Popular Environmental Agronomic Community Educa on to Mobilize and to Organize to Develop Environmental Living Systems (PEACE MODELS).

development programmes without ensuring proper existence of each individual or community is like building buildings without proper founda on. We have educa onal programmes without solving poverty. How can a child study with a hungry stomach or how can he apply himself to higher educa on, if his mind is not properly developed due lack of material requirements like balance food, adequate clothes and housing? How many follow a balanced diet? How many know, what is the minimum number of clothes one should have to appear in public without embarrassment? How many know that every adult needs a housing of 100 square feet area? When all these three are fulﬁlled only, he/she or his/her children will be able to study. Again how many have es mated the real cost of well balanced food, adequate clothing, housing and educa on of the children at least up to gradua on level in a family of six members?. The Indian slogan “Ro , Kappada, Makkan” (food, clothes and housing) are

Humans on earth are the end product of the millions of years of evolu on and are s ll evolving though an individual human may not realize it. That he is the product of the nature and is governed by the laws of nature in his growth and development is a fact that he has to reckon with. Yet the humans are the masters of the earth and everything in it and yet they are the most vulnerable of all the living beings on the earth. All the major components in the nature such as soil, water, air, light, heat, microbes, plants and animals are to be used by humans judiciously so that the future genera ons also will have the same things in sufficient quan ty. In the PEACE MODEL system, there is a physical and mental aspect which cannot be separated existen ally though logically we can make dis nc ons and defini ons. The physical aspect consists in adhering with the above men oned commandments of the Nature whether one is involved directly or indirectly in the Nature. The mental or spiritual aspect of the PEACE MODEL is a sense of affinity, unity, are though at his disposal he should not and cannot use them as he likes. He should preserve them for the future genera ons. It is also a convic on that at the ul mate level there is a oneness and inter‐rela onship between all the things in the Nature. This mental affinity is not without physical basis. At the ul mate elemental level all the

things in this world are made up of the same ma er but different in structure, composi on and func ons as we find in the microbes, plants, animals and humans. Everything comes from the earth including the atmosphere and everything goes back to the soil or to the earth. It is amazing how different are each and every microbe, plant, animal and human on earth and yet they are composed basically of the same material. Beyond the physical we feel an affinity towards plants, animals and other human which we can clearly experience. How an animal will respond to a human and how even a plant responds to a human being are facts experimentally proved. How each and every one of them contribute to the life of each human being on earth is an awareness every human should cul vate and cherish. People who live in PEACE MODEL system will feel an affinity and inter‐relatedness to the soil, water, air, heat, light, microbes, plants, animals and to other humans. which they walk, a flowering plant etc. They will be part of the web of ecological web in which every component in the Nature is inter‐ related to each other.

Conclusion These eighteen “Laws of Nature” are enunciated a er considering many aspects of human and environmental existence and development on earth. Yet they will generate a lot of heat and dust in the discussion and debate, as people all have their own ideas about environment management. Yet a er all the heat and dust raised some consensus will hopefully emerge. It may be too late for that to happen; but it is be er to be late than never.

Dr. K. T. Chandy He is recipient of na onal & interna onal award for the outstanding work in above men oned ﬁeld. He is on the Editorial Board of Krishi Jagran Media Group.)

JAN 2015 | AGRICULTURE WORLD | Issue-1

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Unshackle the Agro-Business from short term quick ﬁxes

Unshackle the Agro-Business from short term quick ﬁxes I n formally organised seminars of Indian Associa ons and Confedera ons, corporate barons pronounce that they need non‐ interference by establishment for stability of their business. But at the same me they woo the chief guests –who are generally either Chief Ministers or Ministers or Secretaries to the GOI‐‐ to process policy formula ons those beneﬁt them in short term but diminish domes c and global compe on. Doing business in monopoly is the easiest way out. State interven on should be the rarest of the rare cases but not a rule of generalised collec ve lobbying –as is being adopted for the last 67 years in collusion between the authori es and the businesses. Let it be understood that whenever Governments all over the word indulge in so called reforms, they are always skewed.

Let us set aside the case of PDS (Public Distribu on System) and MSP (Minimum Support Price) regime for the me being where macro policy correc on is required for the decisions taken and implemented for the last 50 years. Na onal Food Security Act (NFSA) is again in a state of hiberna on and needs another dose of state sponsored reform, which Modi Government

appears to have ini ated silently. Yet, there are umpteen ma ers where the producers and industry invite government to intervene.

Sugar At the insistence of the industry, sugar trade was deregulated by UPA Government in April 2013. But then half‐ baked policy on sugar cane pricing has created more confusion than reform. Why fixing sugarcane price on pan India basis was le out? The woes of farmers' arrears are now spoken about more than before. Raw sugar export‐centric corporates want WTO non‐compliant subsidy of about $53 pmt which has been a switch on and off affair. Introspec vely industry would have felt that sugar trade in controlled regime was func oning be er than in decontrolled mechanism. Is sugar and allied business really a loss making proposi on? If so, the produc on should have declined by 30%‐40%. But sugar produc on seems to increase from 24 million tons (mts) to 26 million mts and carry in stocks are unchanged to 7.5 million tons while consump on is 22 million tons and exports of 1.8 mts. Has the recovery from sugar cane gone up or the by‐products are suppor ng the

proﬁtability? Will the proposed 70:30 formula of pricing sugarcane will be transparent and fair for all? Surprisingly Banks are s ll suppor ng the hugely loss making industry?? Why?? Can banks recover recurring losses by fresh funding?? Why farmers are not demonstra ng on streets, if there is evidence of huge cane arrears. There are many unanswered ques ons. Crude oil prices are down by 50% and further fall is not ruled out. More sugar will be produced by Brazil than ethanol, thereby pushing NY sugar even below 14c/lb. Pressures to import will mount and exports will be minimal. How the emerging challenge will be embraced? Is hike in import duty the only way out? Or sugarcane price adjustments, higher recoveries or be er technology are the answer? Sugar industry in fact again “desires” Government interven on despite their “vocalism” that the administra on should let them func on independently. The generally accepted no on is that when an industry is making proﬁtsit perhaps believes that it is their ingenuity while establishment has nothing to do with it. At the me when markets are non‐ suppor ve, it blames the Government for the mess up and seeks bail out/incen ves in the name of farmers

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Unshackle the Agro-Business from short term quick ﬁxes or workers. How can proﬁts be private and losses public!!

Rice Rice produc on is also recognised as an industry because it is milled out of the paddy. Out of about 105 mts of Rice milled annually, 95 mts is Non‐ Basma Rice (NBR) ‐‐ where Government acquisi on is 30 mts, private market is 60 mts while balance 10 mts is Basma rice. Government determines the MSP of NBR paddy and consequently there is some vague correla on of NBR rice cost with market values. By and large rice trade has been opera ng freely except for the period 2007‐11 when Commerce Ministry no fied, first restric ons and then prohibi on, in export of NBR—not because the rice was in short supply or due to domes c infla on but it acted under misconceived no on that wheat import and produc on may not suffice. It was a total mess up. Large official and domes c NBR stocks were built up. In addi on to genuine Basma rice export, significant tonnage of NBR was also exported as Basma rice by over invoicing, whose exact volume will always remain unknown. The official records merely reflected 1‐1.5 million tons of Basma Rice. This encouraged parallel trade in hard currency too. During those four years, officialdom failed to realize the suppressed poten al of Indian NBR export which required no government assistance or interven on. Effec ve September 2011, when export of NBR was re‐permi ed, India a ained status of world largest rice exporter for 2012‐ 13‐14 with annual shipments of 10‐11 million tons. This sterling success isalso a ributed to Pusa hybrid varie es 1121 in Basma segment. In NBR segment, PR11,1001, IR64, IR32, Sona Masoori, Ponna, Parboiled and 100% broken rice varie es have been widely accepted abroad. All this is possible due to be er technologies applied by the agricultural research ins tu ons and

Indian rice millers for sor ng and sortexing –ensuring uniformity in looks, quality and consumer packaging. The only discre on that Indian rice trade enjoys is to blend various varie es with the consent of the buyers with which they can adjust their proﬁtability. Government has stayed away in all aspects of rice trade except for the PDS procurement. The freedom to buy and sell and export by the private players is the hall mark of success of the rice trade. Neither the rice industry has a strong lobby to inﬂuence Government policies which is a blessing in disguise.

Edible oil Solvent Extractors Associa on (SEA) and Soybean Oil Processor Associa ons (SOPA) have lobbied with Government to raise custom duty on imported crude and refined oil to offset steep fall in world palm oil and soy oil prices. Recently (24.12.2014) the Government acquiesced to their demand by hiking the duty by addi onal 5%. Surely this will benefit the industry more than the farmers. But it will be pro infla on and hit the consumer. World soy prices are flexible (can withstand high vola lity) because of high yields a ained through hybrid and GMO technologies in USA and South America to which India largely remains insulated. For example India has a soybean crushing capacity of 80000 mt/ day and that requires 24 million tons soybeans annually (300 working days) while our current

JAN 2015 | AGRICULTURE WORLD | Issue-1

produc on hovers at 11‐12 million tons in the best years. GM soy yields about 3mt/ha. Applica on of the latest technology is the only viable strategy where we can triple our output and cut down cost of oil produc on. If GM crops are environmentally safe for US/Brazil/Argen na and if China is abundantly using them, why our policymakers cannot accelerate the process of their introduc on? But both the Government and industry do not appear to be keen in enhanced produc vity of soybean through GM cropping; neither import of GM beans have been asked for by the champions of the industry from the policymakers. Both are content in short term solu ons and not high produc vity at low cost. The above three issues exemplify the following‐‐‐ two major industries‐‐ sugar and edible oil, who keep on pleading with Government virtually every year to intervene will always remain on crutches for their survival. Both trade and the Government either due to poli cal populism or for the short term reliefs ignore the widest canvas of long term reform. These sectors need a wider vision for aggressive development rather than quick ﬁx measures. Look at rice industry of similar linkages with farmers. They have grown with deep penetra on both in domes c and interna onal markets, even where there are no futures to hedge.

Tejinder Narang

Economic & Political Signiﬁcance of Indian Seed Industry

ECONOMIC & POLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF INDIAN SEED INDUSTRY ARE WE READY TO PLAY THE BIGGER GAME?

here can be no argument about the crucial importance of food security for any society and na on. Food is a very strategic issue since ages. In changing geo‐poli cal condi ons in the world control of food and fuel supplies is of strategic and poli cal signiﬁcance.

in the past was due to shortage of food. Civil wars and social unrest were due to excessive food inﬂa on and shortage of food. There is conscious a empt by major global poli cal power to capture or inﬂuence the food security of other na ons to enhance their poli cal and strategic reach.

Why food security is crucial for na onal economic & foreign policy?

Tools used to inﬂuence food security around the world:

High voltage and aggressive nego a ons and debates on Agreement on Agriculture at WTO mee ngs are clear examples that food security and bio‐economy are non‐ nego able because no country weather small or big world like to compromise on food security.

In order to control or inﬂuence the food security of other country, there are many ways by which this can be done. The most powerful and sensi ve too is by controlling the factors of produc on and also inﬂuencing their viability or availability.

Any country without food security cannot have independent economic and foreign policy. It is well known fact that any country who is oﬀering food and fuel to other country to stabilize the economy for its existence will try to inﬂuence the policies of the receiving country in their favor. Nothing is free in today's world. Strategically, food is also weapon. The collapse of USSR and much economy

The major factors of produc on in agriculture are: 1. Soil 2. Seeds 3. Water 4. Agro‐chemicals 5. Climate 6. Labor 7. Equipment and machines 8. Fuel

Out of these major factors of product, the few can be controlled by trade laws and some other can be influenced by social and environmental laws. Na onal Food Security and Trade Laws: Inputs like seeds, agro‐chemicals, equipment and fuel are tradable products. There is an a empt to control or influence the availability, quality and cost of these inputs in one way or the other. Tariff and non‐tariff measures are used to influence the supply and cost of these products in the world market. There are various agreements under WTO which are used to influence these aspects in domes c policies of various countries. Some of the important agreements are: 1. Agreement of Agriculture 2. Agreement on Trade related Intellectual property rights 3. Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade 4. Agreement on Sanitary and Phyto‐ sanitary Measures 5. Agreement on Trade facilita on

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Economic & Political Significance of Indian Seed Industry 6. Agreement on Procurement In this ar cle let me discuss about just one input i.e. Seeds: Industry Seed Industry: Time for Strategic Thinking As we all know seed is very vital input for any crop. In today's world, there is serious a empt by all the governments to control the source of natural resources in one way or the other whether it is energy sources, mineral source or gene c sources. In this fight, there is no considera on who is actually the original owner of these vital resources. People, those who have imperialis c mindset, s ll have tendency to garb what is available at whatever cost –fair and unfair is not a criteria. Star ng from Gulf War to trade war under WTO, one thing is very clear, the fi est will survive. There is no ques on that any country will compromise and will allow others to take foothold in their strategic objec ve in the game of food security and energy security. Indian Seeds Industry is Part of the Chess Game under WTO Every Poli cian and business leaders, irrespec ve of his or her reach and size, understands the role of food and fuel in any society. The easiest way to influence any poli cal and economic decisions of any country is by influencing or controlling food and fuel supply. It is not surprising to note that even a er signing WTO agreement and also advoca ng fair and transparent trade, none of leading industrial countries and the world powers are willing to compromise on agriculture and food security. Not a single developed country is willing to reduce the subsidies to agriculture sector; none of them is willing to relax the rules by which their food society is compromised. Many countries treat seed as a strategic sector and even don't allow more than 49% FDI in seed sector. Is seed sector ready to play a bigger role in Indian's food security?

control the seed supply of that country. Seed is a major mul plier factor in food security. If this is right, in this case, it is very important for us to understand the role of seed sector not just a trading or commercial ac vity but as sector which is of strategic significance for any country. It is high me when leaders of seed industry and poli cal leaders should sit together and study the seed policies from all major countries of the world and understand the reason why they have taken certain ac on and why? It is also important to understand and read between the lines why certain countries are very rigid in their agriculture policies? If certain countries have extended any concession in certain sectors of agriculture, in that case please read what is the impact of the same on long term food security of the country and on the seed sector of that country. Why any country should make India food secure? No country in the world is keen to make India food and energy secure. It is not in their trading, poli cal and strategic interest. India is a huge country with 1250 million people, with very important strategic loca on. They all know, poor produc vity in agriculture and food insecurity is huge business opportunity for them. Food infla on in India will ensure that India's economy con nue to struggle so that India's industrial sector con nue to suffer. This means compe on from India in world market can be minimized. This will also limit resource genera on for government of India and will aggravate poli cal turmoil and policy paralysis. Why seed sector will be key for India's economic independence? We feel very happy when we have surplus produc on of carbohydrates like wheat, rice and sugar. At the same me we have failed to address the growing deficit of protein and edible oil which are vital for healthy and produc ve life.

The source of food is seed. The At the same me, as a country we best way to control food security is JAN 2015 | AGRICULTURE WORLD | Issue-1 14

failed to give due important to seed sector in India. The whole focus of seed sector is mainly towards carbohydrates and ﬁbers which are either surplus in India or of industrial use. These products are of limited signiﬁcance for healthy India. Produc vity of protein and oil rich crop is of na onal importance. This degrada on of pulses and oilseeds supplies is an outcome of con nuous ignorance of ground realty by keeping short term trading interest alive by compromising long term na onal interest. Limi ng Factor in Improving Produc vity in India: ·

Availability of Seeds

Availability of Energy

Poor soil health leading to poor response to fer lizer and irriga on

Growing Bio c stress

Degrada on of gene c resources

Destruc on of crop diversity and promo on of mono‐culture

Agriculture Policy and Seed industry Leaders must tell the na on, what their views on the following are: ·

What changes in produc vity and cul vated areas will be needed to grow the addi onal food & feed incl. pulses, oilseeds and fodder for securing India's food security.

Will the iden ﬁed regions be able to produce addi onal food to ensure food security?

Do we have suitable seeds for

www.krishijagran.com these new regions? ·

What is the future of small seed companies? Learning from Edible oil sector is vital. Oil sectors wanted decontrol with the assump on that it will help small companies to grow, but today all small scale industries are suﬀering and about to close and edible oil industry is depended on imports. What is the future of small seed companies in India?

Who will control the gene c resources and seed industry of India? Whoever will control the gene c resources will decide the future of India's food security?

Seed is going to be technology driven in coming days, what should be the technology fee and royalty for technology in India. Recently, Commerce and Industry Minister of India said India should have Guidelines for technology feed and royalty payments. Is seed industry ready with the sugges on?

NGOs are raising issues against promo on of monoculture, carteliza on and stacking traits in seed industries? These concerns are not invalid? What is our response to them?

What about biodiversity in India? In the last 80 years, globally we have lost more than 92% of biodiversity in crops which are commercial oriented. What is the future of biodiversity in India where seed companies are focusing?

Large scale imported fresh fruits and vegetables are also bringing

bio‐security threat into India. In poultry industry we have seen how bird ﬂu is impac ng the sector. What about new diseases in crops and plants. Who is monitoring and controlling entry of exo c diseases into India. ·

Bio‐terrorism and Bio‐security are new dimensions in world policy environment. If we see these dimensions under the WTO regime, countries will play these non‐tariﬀ cards cards to protect their commercial interest. Are we ready to address these issues and protect our country from these threats?

These ques ons need serious thinking because these ques ons will decide survival of your business. You can choose to ignore the facts, but facts remain: If you will ignore now, you will compromise your business and your existence. Once these things go out of control in large economy like India, it is very diﬃcult to bring back the management and policy control by ignoring vested interest inside and outside India. For example, see the example of edible oil India. Future will tell what the contribu on of current leadership was. Sales, marke ng revenue genera on and business propor on are rou ne job for all business managers to meet day‐to‐day challenges. But, what about future of India's food security? How much me and energy our poli cal and business leaders are devo ng to ensure India's food security? The way things are happening, I am not comfortable. Are you sure they will make India food secure? Think about it. If India's food security is not protected, who will protect India's seed sector. If food is not secure, India's economic policy and foreign policy cannot be independent and cannot secure strategic India's interests. Food will decide who will win this

poli cal and business war on global stage. Food produc on related technologies will be used by our adversaries' to win this game. Seed is an important weapon in this whole game. Let us monitor every month (not every year), how much food we are impor ng into India and at what price. How much foreign exchange is going out from India? This will help us in monitoring what is happening with our food security. Today, our food and agriculture based import is worth USD 25 billion, by 2020 it will touch US 100 billion. All the gains from IT exports will be used just to feed India. We will import food to feed human beings; what is about livestock sector? They also need be er feed to remain produc ve. High yielding animals need more nutri on than human beings. By 2020, India will have shortage of feed and fodder worth USD 150 billion. Yes, I am very worried the things are going. I can see India as a major food impor ng country and food inﬂa on and food security will dominate poli cal agenda in India in years to come. Future will tell, what was the capability and vision of our present leaders and decision makers. I wish I am wrong. As a visionary, what is your opinion? Please do let us know. VIJAY SARDANA Bio‐economy, Innova ons & Food Security Expert Blog: “Vijay Sardana Online” email: sardana.vijay@gmail.com

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Agriculture: No More a Man's World

AGRICULTURE NO MORE A MAN'S WORLD

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Dr K C Ravi (The views expressed are personal. The author is Vice President, Commercial Acceptance and Public Policy, South Asia, Syngenta India Limited)

JAN 2015 | AGRICULTURE WORLD | Issue-1

Promoting Skill Development in Indian Agriculture

Promoting Skill Development in Indian Agriculture A multifaceted holistic approach by Bayer Authored by Joerg Rehbein, Head of Bayer Crop Science, Indian Subcon nent& Spokesman India, German Agribusiness Alliance (OAV Joerg Rehbein is the Head of Bayer Crop Science, Indian Subcon nent; a role he has been in since June 2011. Prior to this, Joerg has held several leadership posi ons at Bayer over the past 20 years, where he gained a wide range of experience by managing Bayer's agrochemical business in countries with varied agricultural, distribu on and farming characteris cs. Since September 2013, Joerg is also handling the role of Spokesman India, German Agribusiness Alliance (OAV).

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Bayer experts distribu ng the Bayer Labhsutra kit to chilli farmers

â&#x20AC;? Sa nder Pal Singh, Potato farmer, Killi Village, Jalandhar District, Punjab

JAN 2015 | AGRICULTURE WORLD | Issue-1

Promoting Skill Development in Indian Agriculture

The Bayer Solu ons Store aims to sa sfy farmers' need for farming knowledge, while oďŹ&#x20AC;ering them the "Right Product with Right Advice"

Bayer CropScience's na onal farmer helpline provides free technical advisory, crop related advice and informa on on crop protec on products to farmers across India

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A potato farmer under Bayer CropScience's Food Chain Partnership demonstra ng his healthy produce of potatoes to a Bayer expert

Bayer experts and the CITI‐CDRA team during a visit to the project co on ﬁeld in Jodhpur, Rajasthan

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Technologies Crucial for Sustainable Agriculture

Technologies Crucial for SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE A

gricultural growth in India is a key to economic development in the country and therefore, farmers' success becomes a major factor to the country's development. Hence, it is all the more important to ensure farmers have the right policies and technologies that enable increased produc vity and growth. With limited natural resources, clearly, India needs to produce more sustainably. Agriculture research is seasonal, either kharif or rabi, depending on the crop, and what you're researching for. Research needs the encouragement of regulatory predictability, so a er research, tes ng and mee ng stated protocols, we can offer farmers new technologies. Policymakers say they want farmers to progress, and our na on to be self‐sufficient. These objec ves are shared by private and development sector as well, albeit our routes some mes create partnerships, some mes differ. While farmers in our fellow emerging na ons Brazil and China

access the latest cu ng‐edge agri biotechnologies progress for plan ng and/or import, it has been quite a few years since India approved any new agriculture biotechnology for our farmers. Over the last 18 months, Brazil and China have approved the world's latest biotechnologies – China approved Drought Tolerant Corn technologies; and a Brazil‐speciﬁc Soybean Insect Protec on Technology was approved in both Brazil and China. Farmers in the US and Sub‐Saharan Africa will access Drought Tolerant Corn seeds while India's farmers have no sight of when, if ever, they will have these choices. Brazil has approved new biotechnologies in double digits in the past ﬁve years. The last one approved for Indian farmers was a Bt co on technology co on in 2006. Globally, in‐the‐seed biotechnologies are being cul vated by farmers globally include soybean, maize, co on, canola, squash, papaya, alfalfa, sugarbeet, sweet pepper, tomatoes, among others. More than 55 countries globally have granted

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regulatory approvals for biotech crops for import for food and feed use and/or plan ng since 1996 incl. USA, Canada, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Philippines, Mexico, Japan, Korea, the European Union, New Zealand, and others. While our agricultural produc on has increased, our popula on has increased too. However, the amount of land we have to cul vate crops will not increase. The amount of water we need for these crops will not increase either. Over the next decades, climate change will result in more pressure on farmers to get a good yield, with unpredictability in weather playing havoc with India's historically rainfed

www.krishijagran.com agricultural system. Till the 1960s, India's farmers were growing straight varie es of crops, using manure and other tradi onal means to enrich the soil. The fruits of their labour, however, fell far short of mee ng the needs of the country. The introduc on of high yielding hybrid seeds, advanced technology in the 60s, changed the face of Indian agriculture. With hybrid seeds came the combina on use of modern fer lizers and irriga on techniques to op mize yields, and India's farmers have not looked back since then. It is me our na on witnessed concerted ac on for farmers, science, and economic growth. A progressive vision for farmers, food and agriculture, which Centre and State Governments, agriculture universi es, the private and development sector – all work to deliver. Farmers are in desperate need for advanced technologies and deserve choices. Wider choices lead to more compe on and increased innova on – which beneﬁts farmers most. In any farming system, farmers will need nutrients for plant growth, and some solu ons to control pest a acks, manage weeds, manage crops in drought‐like or ﬂood condi ons. Farmers will choose those that create value on their farm, and in their lives. The Green Revolu on was a result of adop on of various technologies. If there was ever a ready example of how technology directly translates into improved standards of living for farmers, it would be India's success story in co on. Since introduc on of

hybrid Bt co on seeds in 2002 and farmers choosing to plant them widely since, farmers have turned India into the world's largest producer of co on. Studies have also documented the eﬀect of increased returns from hybrid Bt co on seeds on the livelihood status of farmers and landless labourers. On an average 85 per cent farmers and landless labourers invested in be er quality educa on for their children, 77 per cent reported intake of high value and nutri ous food, 70 per cent in recrea on and social func ons, 75 per cent on health of their family members and 64 per cent on health of livestock. The improving status of farmers and their contribu on using farm technologies (seed, irriga on, mobile, or harves ng) are what every developing and developed na on must acknowledge. It is now me for agriculture in India to take another leap forward, where biotechnology can provide the right impetus. The biggest beneﬁciaries of technologies will be our na on's farmers. Agriculture makes up only about 13.7% of India's GDP, yet employs about 51% of India's popula on. The majority of India's poor also reside in the rural areas of the country. One way bring in prosperity is to increase agricultural produc vity and income. And the way to increase produc vity is by providing our farmers with state‐o he‐art

technology in agriculture. India needs to grow more, to ensure that every ci zen can eat a safe, nutri ous and affordable meal, and every farmer can prosper with the freedom to access global ag technologies and market opportuni es as millions of young Indians in informa on technology (IT). Indian agriculture needs to grow to remain compe ve in a ghtening global economy, and to become an exporter of food to other parts the world. Indian agriculture is poised at the edge of a poten al revolu on, one that can take care of the needs of an ever prospering country. We need to understand the needs of our farmers and the poten al agriculture carries in the days to come. Improved agriculture technologies, uninterrupted field research and increased choices will enable improving agriculture produc vity. Technology has benefi ed the country in many ways, be it IT, manufacturing or communica ons. It would be unfair to deny India's farmers the benefits of biotechnology, and it would be unfair to the na on to prevent its farmlands from prospering more. Dr. Devraj Arya is Director ‐ Corporate Affairs Opera ons, Monsanto India

JAN 2015 | AGRICULTURE WORLD | Issue-1

Agriculture News

Global War Over Food T he World Bank and the United Na ons say there won't be enough food to feed the global popula on by 2050. Even Some researchers suggest possibility of food scarcity crunch as early as 2030, just 15 years from now. World Bank report shows that by

huge popula on of the world is a huge business. Several mul na onal food companies such as Kra (0.21%), ConAgra (0.77%), Cargill, and PepsiCo (0.08%) are heavily involved in food produc on. Companies like Monsanto (1.28%) the biggest producer of GM‐ seeds, promote their high tech products as a eﬀec ve measure to step up food produc on. Many experts accept innova on like GM‐crops are one of the solu ons. Apart from this, providing food infrastructure facili es to poor countries, agriculture programmes such as “people can grow their own food” are some of the measures that can help us to overcome such crisis.

2050, World needs 50 % more food from present day. Food scarcity is a serious concern for world and it could be a precursor for next world war. However, many experts say that producing more food is the only solu on for this crisis, but feeding the

Weed Resistance Competence Centre by Bayer

Launch of New Excel Series 6010 (60HP) Tractor by New Holland

ew Holland Fiat India, a subsidiary of CNH Industrial, is a leading manufacturer and provider of advanced farm mechaniza on solu ons. New Holland has launched the new EXCEL series 6010 (60HP) tractor, which has been designed to provide excellent styling , comfort, technology and produc vity to Indian farmers. With the launch of the EXCEL series 6010 model, New Holland Fiat India will now cater to the demands of progressive farmers aspiring to higher horse power tractors to increase their work output. Besides the EXCEL 6010, New Holland will also launch EXCEL series models in 65 and 75 HP ranges in the country.

ayer Crop Sciences has taken a major step in the ﬁeld of herbicide and opened its Weed Resistance Competence Centre (WRCC) in Frankfurt, Germany. The core ac vi es of its centre to cover three areas: understanding weed resistance mechanisms and their evolu on in the ﬁeld; Developing and tes ng new weed control strategies; and sharing Bayer Crop Science's knowledge and weed control solu ons with en re value chain.

JAN 2015 | AGRICULTURE WORLD | Issue-1

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2015 Declared as International Year of Soils

Novozymes Plans to Animal Probiotics Market

ovozymes, the Danish biotech company is planning to enter half a billion‐dollar animal probio cs market. Novozymes is the world's biggest maker of Enzymes and now wants to take step by increasing investments in animal direct‐fed microbial products, commonly referred as probio cs.

Monsanto is ready for next-Generation Commercial Launch

onsanto is readying for launching next‐genera on products, namely round up, ready ® 2 Xtend™ Soybeans, Bollgard II® XtendFlex™ and co on traits. For acknowledgement of this product, the USDA considered nearly 5,000 comments submi ed by farmers, academics, scien ﬁc experts and other key stakeholders.

Khinalig: An Eco-Friendly Village

he Interna onal Eco‐Energy Academy, Baku, Azerbaijan has developed an innova ve project on renewable energy at Khinalig village of Guba region (Azerbaijan ). Khinalig village is located 2200 meters above the sea level where sunlight is in abundance, and suitable for a solar energy project. Several sugges ve direc ons in agricultural sector, especially for the sustainable development of animal husbandry and ﬁshery were given to villagers of Khinalig.

Agri-portal by KRISHI JAGRAN

rishi Jagran Media Group has launched its agri‐portal www.krishijagran.com to support farming communi es of the world. It gives online detailed informa on on agriculture, post harvest management, livestock, farm mechaniza on etc. Krishi Jagran also provides recent updates on various sectors in agri‐business, agri‐commodity prices, upcoming events, weather etc.

ood and Agriculture Organiza on (FAO) has declared December 5th, 2014 as the World Soil Day and 2015 as the International Year of Soils (IYS). The goal of the IYS is to raise awareness among the people on the importance of “Healthy soils for a healthy life”. Land degrada on currently aﬀects nearly one‐third of the earth's land area threatening the capacity to meet the needs of future genera ons. FAO es mates that most of the soils are having lower soil fer lity, reduced crop yields, lesser soil carbon sequestra on, deforesta on, deser ﬁca on and rural migra on bear an adverse impact on families and small‐holder farmer's lives.

GreenPHABLET, A low-cost combination phone and tablet for small-holders

CRISAT (The Interna onal Crops Research Ins tute for the Semi‐Arid Tropics) has recently launched "GreenPHABLET powered by the GreenSIM". It is a low‐ cost combina on phone and tablet computer customized to improve agricultural success and incomes of developing world. The GreenPHABLET gives informa on to be precisely targeted to individual small‐holder farmers. This helps farmers to purchase inputs at lower price, get a be er price for their produce, and link them to markets. This device acts like a mobile village knowledge center/common service center, enabling farmers to beneﬁt from contemporary informa on and communica on technologies and expanding Internet connec vity in remote rural regions.

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