The document discusses how adopting hi-tech horticulture techniques can help double farmers' incomes in SAARC countries. It outlines several challenges facing agriculture in SAARC nations, including declining land and labor, and proposes strategies like crop improvement, protected cultivation, mechanization, and post-harvest management. The techniques of hi-tech horticulture can enhance production and productivity, generate employment, and improve food security and farmers' economic conditions. Overall, hi-tech agriculture can help save resources and improve quality, providing a solution to food security needs and bettering rural economies.

1. Doubling the Farmer’s Income in SAARC Countries through Hi-Tech Horticulture
Presenting by:
SACHIN TYAGI
Department of Horticulture,
Bihar Agricultural University, India
International Conference on "Doubling the Income of Farmers of SAARC Countries: Extension
Strategies and Approaches“, 20 to 23 September 2018, Kathmandu, Nepal

2. SAARC Agriculture
• The SAARC countries must focus on agriculture.
• Majority of the people in SAARC c depend on agriculture.
• Majority of population in lives in rural areas
• Low-income or, low-middle income
• 23.7% of global population
• 3.95% of the global land mass
• 2.62% share in global income.
• 451 million people in the Region live below poverty line
• Average holdings below one hectare (below 0.5 hectare in Bangladesh, below 1.0
hectare in Sri Lanka and Nepal, 1.41 hectare in India, 3.0 hectare in Pakistan).
• Heavy dependence on rain-fed agriculture.
• There is a monopoly in tea, jute, spices, coconut and some fruits and vegetables from
the SAARC countries.
• Poor education, lack in science and technology as well as suffer from over-population.

3. CHALLENGES
• High pressure on land due to Urbanization and Industrialization
• Reduction of Gross Cropped Area
• Declining public investment in agriculture
• Shortage of Labour force
• Poor adoption of improved crop management practices
• Inadequate post harvest technologies, uncertain market prospects
and linkages.

4. Hi-Tech Horticulture
• Precise production techniques
• Efficient use of inputs at the appropriate time,
• Modern, less environment dependent, capital intensive
• Capacity to improve productivity and quality.
• Enhance Farmers Income
• Reduction in energy consumption
• sharing limited space.
• Optimum use of land and water resource
• off-season,generate income around the year
• Exotic crops that can be (e.g. coloured capsicum, broccoli,mushrooms).

5. Why Hi-Tech Horticulture in SAARC Countries
•To increase the income with horticultural crop
•Nutritional Security
•Religious importance of Horticultural Products
•Employment Generation
•High market value and demand
•Suitable Environment

6. Hi-tech Horticultural Strategies or Components for Doubling
of Farmers Income
• Crop improvement
• Plant propagation & Nursery Management
• Soil Less Culture
• Protected Cultivation
• Mechanization
• Computerize & Automation Technology
• Nanotechnology
• Post harvest management
• Technology transfer
• Crop protection

7. Crop improvement
• Hybrids & improved varieties:
• Conservation of existing germplasm
• Exploration of underutilized plants and Land use.
• Resistance to one or more biotic and abiotic stresses.
• Genetically modified (GM) crops.
• Molecular Diagnostics
• Farmers' Right Act & IPR

8. Plant propagation & Nursery Management
• Quality planting material
• Micro-propagation
• Plug Tray Nursery Raising Technology.
• Root-stock Management

9. Advance orchard Management Techniques
• Establishment of new orchard: High density planting,
• Multi-tier cropping system in problematic soil,
• Inter cropping with horticultural crops.
• Management of old and unproductive orchards: Rejuvenation,
Canopy management,
• Plasticulture and mulching
• Hydrogels

10. Soil Less Culture
• Growing plants without soil.
• Soilless substrates
• Peat moss
• Wood Residues
• Coconut peat
• Perlite
• Vermiculite
• Pumice

11. Hydroponics: Solution Culture
All nutrients must be supplied in solution
 Can control fertility very specifically
 Takes specific equipment for metering
Plant support
 Fixed above, or floating
 Keep aeration in water, or wool, perlite, sand
 Used commonly in research on roots to keep soil out of way
Root Aeration & Darkness
 Bubble air
 Baffles in water flow
 Keep root system in dark
 Inhibits algae growth

12. Modern Crop protection
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
• Integrated Nutrient Management (INM)
• Integrated Weed Management (IWM)

13. Protected Cultivation
• Greenhouse / poly house system
• Microclimate in green house
• Protection from the adverse climatic conditions: wind, cold,
precipitation, excessive radiation, extreme temperature, insects and
diseases.
• 10-12 times higher yield than outdoor cultivation.
• Year round & Off-season production.
• Efficient utilisation of chemicals, pesticides and Water.

14. Mechanization
• Substitute for labour
• Increase productivity of farm
Types of Horticulture mechanization
• Farm machinery
• Irrigation Engineering
• Fertigation: Fertigation Pump, Fertiliser tank and Venturi Injector.
• Micro-irrigation
• Drain Engineering
• Harvesting Machine

15. Computerize & Automation Technology
• Robot: Spraying of Pesticide, Dropping of Seed’s, Ploughing, Power
Supply, Water Supply
• Computerize control of irrigation & fertilization (Fertigation).
• GPS tractors, combines, sprayers.
• Tracking system

16. Nanotechnology
• Promoting soil fertility and balanced crop nutrition.
• Effective weed control.
• Enhancing seed emergence using carbon nanotubes.
• Silver particles: controlling various plant pathogens. Used to deliver
DNA & other desired chemicals into plant tissues for protection of
host plants against insect pests.
• Improve feeding & nutrition of animals.
• Water treatment
• Processing & preservation.

17. Nanotechnology

18. Post harvest management
• Value addition: Processing & Preservation.
• Hurdle technology: extended shelf life to high moisture foods without
refrigeration.
• Minimal processing
• Steeping preservation

19. Technology Transfer
• ICT for extension
• Farmer SMS Portal
• Video Conferencing with farmers
• Mobile App
• Moving vehicle for Agriculture Knowledge
• Talecash of Agricultural technology on Websites.
• Television channel & Radio programmes on agriculture

20. How can promote Hi-Tech Horticulture
• Skilled human resource management: Farm labour & Technical Staff.
• Development of Training institutes and instructors.
• Fast technology transfer system.
• Initiatives to improve marketing support to farmers.
• Web based scheme benefits tracking system.
• Online farm machinery rental services.
• Supplying quality inputs in time.
• Logistics and polices for Hi-tech horticulture

21. Conclusion
• The techniques of hi-tech horticulture are helpful for enhance
horticultural production, improving land productivity, employment
generation, improving economic condition of farmers and providing
nutritional & food security.
• Overall we can say that Hitech agriculture is need of 21st century
which saves money and time also improves the quality of production
and also it will be solution for food security for growing population of
world. This will help improve the rural environment and create better
economy of developing countries. Hi-tech cultivation systems give
opportunities to improve sustainability of cultivation on many
themes. Therefore it can be a solution for doubling farmer income in
SAARC countries which depending on their specific challenges.

22. Thanks