Learning on Agriculture

Brief report on agriculture module

Introduction: On March 12, 2009, the agriculture module started. All fellows introduced themselves for module facilitators. The method of introduction was to tell one’s name, professional background and expectations of the fellowship program. Mr. Srikanth, Mr. S.L. Desai, Dr. M.B. Pattanshetti and Ms. Sangeeta Patil were the main facilitators for this module, and they all were from AME Foundation. AME Foundation is a Bangalore-based organization that mainly works on agricultural issues and has national-level identification on agricultural issues. All facilitators of this module are the employees of AME Foundation and hold different positions in AME.

Key points of the module: In the agriculture module scenario of the agriculture were told that the total geographical area in Karnataka is 190.50 lakh hectares and total cultivatable area is 123 lakh hectares. Total cultivated area is 116.70 lakh hectares. If it will be considered for irrigated area then it is 31 lakh hectares (26.5%). The total state’s domestic product from agriculture is 20 percent. 73 percent of small and marginal farmers are cultivating 34.5 percent of land. Now the farming situation in India is not up to that level as it should be according to total population of the country involve in the agriculture. Degrading soil fertility, soil carbon and capacity to hold moisture is reduced from the cultivable land. Repeat crop is failing due to environmental degradation and erosion of biodiversity and farm ecosystem also affect on the production. Farmer’s income is decreasing while cost of the production is increasing every year. Local enterprises have collapsed which causes the unstable market and exploitation.

Module description: On the first day Mr. Srikanth started the session with the explanation of the agricultural scenario in India and Karnataka. He said that in India the total geographical area is hectares land of that land, 140 million hectares is cultivatable, but only 30 million hectares is cultivated. In some crops India is in the leading position; India is the second largest rice and wheat producer, the largest milk producer and the world leader in dairy animal products, and the second largest producer of vegetables. India produces 41 percent of the words mangoes, 23 percent of its bananas, 24 percent of its cashew nuts, 36 percent of its green peas and 10 percent of its onions. In the state of Karnataka the total geographical area is 190.50 lakh hectares of the cultivable area is 123 lakh hectares and the area under irrigation is 31 lakh hectares (26.5 percent land). Then the resource person explained contract farming and backward linkage. There are some challenges also in rural livelihood, such as the lack of food and nutritional security, lack of self-reliance in some farmers and lack of capacity building and knowledge empowerment.

In the history of Indian agriculture there was some revolutions that resulted in the improvement of India’s agricultural status. In 1965 to 1970 the ‘green revolution’ which enhancing crop production, and in the 1980s there was the horticulture revolution, with high values crops and then the white revolution for milk corporations. The horticulture consumption in the country is

• Urea 27 million tons (13,500 crore),
• DAP 7.5 million tons (7,500 crore),
• MOP 4.2 million tons (2,310 crore)

In the second-day session I learned about the integrated farming system and livestock. The integrated farming system includes integrated crop management, integrated nutrient management, integrated pest management, livestock management, natural resource management and income generation activities. LEISA (low external input for sustainable agriculture) is a method that gives sustainability to the agriculture while using low-cost inputs like organic manures, natural resources, etc. Now LEISA technology is necessary to use in rural agriculture because it decreases the total cost of the crop and promotes (natural resource management) NRM.

Farmer’s field visit: In the afternoon on the second day, I visited the village of Kurdikeri of Hubli Talluka. First I was introduced to the locally-used natural manure resources. All farmers made a practical presentation on manure organics, showing the processes they use for making manures. Then I visited the farmers’ field. Here one meeting was organized where Mr. Desai explained the process of how farmers use technologies in their fields. I also saw how farmers apply practical practices to crops to prevent pesticides and insects. It is called Farmer’s Field School (FFS).

On the third and last day of the module I participated in debate. This debate was on the topic ‘Rural Economy and Industrial Economy’ and all Deshpande Fellowship Program fellows were divided into two groups. The main objective of this activity was to enrich the knowledge of fellows and to recall all the learning.

During all sessions documentary films were shown : Highway to Hell, Seed in Internal Exile, New Hopes in Groundnut Farming System.

Learning: I learned many things from this module but the lesson of effect of pesticides on land crops and human beings was the most interesting for me. After learning the various disadvantages of pesticides I am quite confident to talk with farmers about it.

The market knowledge and use of new technologies are also some of the best practices all farmers should know and make maximum use of. I can facilitate farmers well in collaborating with the market and using advanced technologies and locally available resources.

Conclusion: Agriculture is a vast issue and it is also a less considered issue in terms of learning. Most of the time agriculture is ignored as an industry. In India agriculture gives livelihood to the 1,100 million people of the total population. On the bases of all aspects here some points that can be considered as the next step in agriculture development. There is a need to

• Bring middle level farmers into the development process,
• Build their awareness level about what is happening around them,
• Build their ability in managing the farm natural resources efficiency,
• Help them to learn more efficient cropping patterns and
• Build their abilities to deal with marketing and other externalities.