Sustainable agriculture.

1. INNOVATIONS IN AGRICULTURE FOR A SUSTAINABLE
FUTURE: PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES

2. The State of Food Security
One billion food
insecure
Rising/fluctuating food
prices
Scarcity of land and
water
Competition from
bioenergy
Climate change

3. Where are we?
What are the
Strengths
and
Weaknesses
of our current agricultural system?

4. Successes
 abundant food supply in the developed world
 fresh fruits and vegetables available year-round
 cheap food
 luxury foods such as coffee, tea, chocolate, and spices
easily available around the world
 effective food preservation technologies (refrigeration,
freezing, canning, packaging)
 convenience foods
 mechanization produces high labor efficiency
 improvements in soil conservation

5. Problems
 continuing soil loss
 food safety concerns (mad cow disease, food
poisoning outbreaks, antibiotic resistance, toxins and
pesticides)
 water pollution, air pollution (& odors), habitat loss,
water depletion
 continuing hunger – and rise of obesity
 failing farms, economic uncertainty and stress
 farm accidents, chronic diseases linked to agricultural
chemicals
 reliance on fossil fuels, global warming
 farmland loss to development, ugly countryside

6. Economically sustainable
 Provides a secure living for farm families
 Provides a secure living to other workers in
the food system
 Provides access to good food for all

7. Environmentally Sound
Preserves the
quality of soil,
water, and air
Cooperates with and
is modeled on natural
systems

8. Socially sustainable
 Good for families
 Supports
communities
 Fair to all involved

9. WHAT CAN BE DONE ?
Can being innovative help?

10. •No-till farming
•Growing wind breaks to hold the soil
•Incorporating organic matter back into fields
•Stop using chemical fertilizers
•Protecting soil from water runoff

11. As the global population increases and demand for food increases, there is
pressure on land resources. Land can also be considered a finite resource
on Earth. Expansion of agricultural land has an impact
on biodiversity and contributes to deforestation. The Food and Agriculture
Organisation of the United Nations estimates that in coming decades,
cropland will continue to be lost to industrial and urban development,
along with reclamation of wetlands, and conversion of forest to cultivation,
resulting in the loss of biodiversity and increased soil erosion.

13. Monoculture, a method of growing only one crop at a time in a given field, is a
very widespread practice, but there are questions about its sustainability,
especially if the same crop is grown every year. It is realized to get around this
problem in local cities and farms which can work together to produce the needed
compost for the farmers. This combined with growing a mixture of crops
sometimes reduces disease or pest problems but polyculture has rarely , If ever,
been compared to the more widespread practice of growing different crops in
successive years with the same overall crop diversity. Cropping systems that
include a variety of crops may also replenish nitrogen and may also use resources
such as sunlight, water, or nutrients more efficiently

14. Soil steaming can be used as an ecological alternative to chemicals
for soil sterilization. Different methods are available to induce steam
into the soil in order to kill pests and increase soil health.
Community and farm composting of kitchen, yard, and farm
organic waste can provide most if not all the required needs of local
farms. This composting could potentially be a reliable source of
energy.

15. Precision farming, which optimises the use of
inputs and significantly enhances output
 This technique focuses on utilising resources optimally to
improve the quality and quantity of crops while lowering the
cost of production.
 It reduces fertiliser and pesticide use, prevents soil degradation,
utilises water optimally and raises productivity.
 Globally, this is done with the aid of modern, eco-friendly
farming practices and technology, including satellite imagery
and information technology.
 This innovation can go a long way in tackling many of our
country's farm ills, including excessive use of water and other
inputs, which has hurt soil quality apart from making farming
unprofitable as a profession

16. PRECISION FARMING
 We need to know how much to plant in an
area to get the best yield.
 Spacing between plants is important.
 Precision makes the difference. Each crop has
a different geometry. You plant less, the yield
is less. You plant more, the yield still falls due
to crowding.

17. PRECISION FARMING
 Correct assessment of the threat to crops from
pests.
 Earlier the farmers would spray pesticide
without taking the kind of pests into
consideration. It was a waste.
 Now they look at the leaves and stem for
symptoms and spray pesticide depending on the
extent of the attack. They have saved money and
farming has become eco-friendly

18. PRECISION FARMING
 Correct assessment of the threat to
crops from pests.
 Earlier the farmers would spray
pesticide without taking the kind of
pests into consideration. It was a
waste.
 Now they look at the leaves and stem
for symptoms and spray pesticide
depending on the extent of the attack.
They have saved money and farming
has become eco-friendly

19. PRECISION FARMING
 In India it is the soil rather than the crop that is
irrigated.
 As a result, 70 %of the water is wasted.
 Precision farming, however, relies on drip
irrigation. With drips, we just wet the soil near
the roots. How much water we use is determined
by the climate, soil type, crop type and age.
 The drip system is also used to "fertigate" the
crop - disseminate soluble fertiliser - and the
extent of fertiliser used depends on the soil's
need.

20. WONDER FUNGUS
 It is about as thick as a strand of human hair. But its presence in the soil
increases crop yield by up to 25 per cent. It also re-energises dead soil. It
helps plants assimilate water, minerals and other nutrients. Mycorrhiza,
as it is called, is a fungus which once occurred naturally in Indian soil,
but the rampant use of chemical fertilisers has almost wiped it out.
 In the last decade, however, scientists at The Energy and Resources
Institute (TERI), Delhi, after years of research, have succeeded in
cultivating Mycorrhiza. Their process has since been commercialised and
six Indian companies now produce and market the fungus. It can be used
to stimulate the growth of a variety of crops such as wheat, potato,
onions and garlic. Its use is already making a difference.
 The country also has 55 million hectares of fallow land and wasteland
which can be reclaimed with its help. Mycorrhiza has even been adopted
overseas - it is one of the first bio-system technologies that went to the
United States from India.

21. THE WAY AHEAD
 SOIL HEALTH CARD: Latest innovative
initiative of our Prime Minister. Help ascertain
how much fertiliser the soil will need before
planting our crop. This will help save fertilisers
thereby reducing use of fossil fuel
 A more enabling environment could help.
Incentives to tackle initial capital costs and
flexibility in the banking system to provide the
higher working capital precision farming needs is
critical.

22. THE WAY AHEAD
 The government also needs to create an enabling environment that
will trigger development and adoption of technology. Technology
can help take precision farming to the next level.
 Controlled environment agriculture. Urbanization presents a
myriad of challenges for the agricultural industry and introduces
new environmental considerations associated with food production
and distribution. One way of addressing these issues is by finding
ways to cultivate food within city limits. Urban agriculture practices
can take a variety of forms, from greenhouse farming to vertical
farming in unused indoor spaces to rooftop gardens and so on.
Urban agriculture can reduce risks associated with weather and
spoilage. Indoor climates are predictable and controllable, thus
droughts and cold snaps pose no threat. Shorter transport distances
to markets reduce the fraction of food lost to spoilage and the carbon
footprint of products.

23. Conclusion
 Agriculture has accomplished much
 There are still many problems to solve, both
old and new
 We need to continously evolve and innovate
to try and solve these problems – without
creating new ones.