The document discusses the ongoing agricultural crisis in India, highlighting the challenges faced by farmers and the failures of agricultural science to address these issues effectively. It critiques the business-oriented research approaches, the neglect of local practices, and the reliance on Western agricultural models. The document calls for a re-evaluation of agricultural practices, encouraging local engagement and introspection to improve outcomes.

1. Exploring Science in
Agriculture
Dr. D. Narasimha Reddy

2. Suicides are an indicator. Indicating
what?
Farmer’s crisis?Farmer’s crisis?
Farming crisis?

3. Crisis explained
Ecological
Social?
Economic
Governance

4. “Blame the Farmer”
Bureaucrat
Farmer Scientist
Banker
Processor

5. Wrong Priorities:
Bu-Bu Farmer

6. Pesticide conundrum
4 extremely hazardous 15 highly hazardous
90 moderately
hazardous
31 slightly hazardous
249 registered
pesticides

7. Global spending
• Total global public spending on agricultural
R&D in 2008 was $31.7 billion
• Global public spending on agricultural
R&D increased by $5.6 billion (+22%) fromR&D increased by $5.6 billion (+22%) from
2000 to 2008. China (+ $2.1 billion) and
India (+ $0.6 billion) were the main drivers
of growth
• In 2008, 49% of global public spending in
agricultural R&D came from low and
middle income countries

8. Research Establishment
49 ICAR institutes,
17 national research centers,
6 bureaux,
25 project directorates,25 project directorates,
79 All India Coordinated Research Projects
(AICRPs) and AINPs
607 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVK) 52 State
Agricultural Universities (SAUs), 1 Central
Agricultural University, 4 Central
Universities having faculty of Agriculture

9. Dichotomy
Yield
Price

10. Consideration for
science
• Decrease in productive land
• Growing number of pests
• Pest resistance
• Seed varieties – build on the present• Seed varieties – build on the present
• Limits to yield
• Soil health – loss of top layer, mineral loss

11. Flaws in Agricultural Science
• Business-oriented research
• Patent as a objective - IPRs
• No contextual research
• Very minimal problem definition –• Very minimal problem definition –
conceptual clarity
• ‘Outlandish’ solutions
• Controlling ‘questions’ – conditioned
thinking
• Pursuing ‘Western’ model

12. Flaws in Agricultural Science
• Ignoring agro-climatic zones
• Neglecting existing practices
• No follow-up research on ‘field’ releases of
knowledge or technologyknowledge or technology
• Serious problems with agricultural science,
scientists and establishment
• Wrong direction
• No output-oriented work
• No experimentation and observation

13. Commandments for ‘good’
science
• ‘Local’ agricultural field as a destination,
and not a conference
• ‘Fruit’ or ‘harvest’ as an outcome, than a
article in a journalarticle in a journal
• ‘Service orientation’ than job prescription
• ‘project’ as a vehicle, than a goal
• Insect-centric research, than ‘pest’ linked
pursuit

14. In summary
• Serious introspection, at individual and
institutional level
• More consideration for Indian ethos, and
centuries old practicescenturies old practices
• Shunning ‘Western’ models, and critically
reviewing ‘recommendations’
• Questioning oneself, and also
establishment

15. Thank you
NREDDY.DONTHI@GMAIL.COM