Less is more Lesser production might just be the answer to the woes of the farming community
‘G
row More Food’ was the slogan given to farmers in the country by the government a few decades back. And quite rightly so. India reeled under food shortages in those days. The country often had to depend on food aid to feed its burgeoning population. Increasing food production was clearly the need of the hour. New varieties, new technologies, fertilisers, etc were developed and introduced in the farmlands. At the same time, the price of food grains had to be kept low to make it affordable to the poor. Subsidised fertilisers, irrigation facilities and other support systems were given to the farmers to keep the cost of production low. Productivity increased due to 38
these measures. The green revolution that followed helped the country attain self sufficiency in food grains. The country is all set to achieve a record production of food grains at 252.56 million tonnes in 2011-12. Times have changed. For the better for some, worse for others. To-
Farmers bear the brunt of the ill-effects of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Yields have plateaued, even declined in many cases, with the soil losing its fertility
day traditional agriculture has been replaced by modern agriculture, at least in the methodology. There is an indiscriminate use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides as part of the green revolution, and it has affected the fertility and quality of the soil. The farmers also bear the brunt of the ill-effects of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Yields have plateaued, even declined in many cases, with the soil losing its fertility. Agriculture is being corporatised. Of late, high yielding seeds, many of which have been genetically engineered, have been brought out in the market by multinational companies. These often have a seed-fertiliserpesticide lock in – you have to use fertilisers and pesticides specified by