Tag: Agriculture

Soil Degradation

The problems of our time include climate change, loss of biodiversity, lack of drinking water, poor sanitation and the depletion of fuel wood supplies due to unsustainable rates of use. All of these are significant, but it could be argued that land degradation is the most pressing environmental and social problem facing society today, particularly affecting the world’s poor. 

It is estimated that an area equal to the size of China and India combined is now classified as having impaired biotic function (damaged ecosystem structure) as a result of poor land management resulting in soil loss. As populations expand, and as social and cultural changes occur, greater and greater demands are being made on larger areas of landscape and soil. In MEDCs where there has been a relatively long tradition of agriculture (agriculture on an industrial scale) there exists, within the agricultural culture, a knowledge of land management that aims for sustained soil fertility and strives to avoid soil erosion. However even in MEDCs there are occasions when climate and intensive agriculture conspire to bring about unprecedented levels of soil erosion. 

Two types of processes can give rise to soil degradation: 


• Processes that take away the soil (erosion). This mainly occurs when there is no vegetation on the soil. Wind and water can then simply take the soil away. 
• Processes that make the soil less suitable for use. In these processes various chemicals end up in the soil and turn the soil useless in the long run. 


Examples of human activities that lead to soil degradation are: overgrazing, deforestation and unsustainable agriculture. Overgrazing occurs when too many animals graze in the same area. Overgrazing of grasslands leaves bare patches where roots no longer hold the soil together. When this is combined with the action of rain and wind the bare patches become bigger and soil is removed from the area. This happened on a huge scale in the Sahel area in Africa (just south of the Sahara desert) in the 1970s and 1980s. In many African countries the wealth of a man is measured by the number of cattle he has (quantity not quality is important) — this leads to very high stocking levels and overgrazing becomes a problem. This was then exacerbated in the 705 and 80s when a long dry period strongly reduced the growth of the vegetation which was subsequently eaten by cattle. The soil particles were no longer kept in place by roots and were blown away by the wind. This resulted in the death of most of the cattle and, later on, in a terrible famine. As soil formation is a very slow process, it will take many years for the Sahel region to recover. In wet climates it is often rain water that takes the soil particles away, especially when the rain water is flowing down slopes. 


Overcropping depletes soil nutrients and makes the soil friable (dry and susceptible to wind erosion). This reduces soil fertility as no nutrients are being returned to the soil. If the crop fails then the soil surface again becomes susceptible to erosion. This is especially true in dry regions where crop failure can lead to removal of topsoil by wind. During the 1930s, the American Mid West suffered a major period of wind erosion known as the ‘Dust Bowl’. Through overuse of the land an area about twice the size of the United Kingdom, from Nebraska through to Texas, was affected by severe wind erosion. The winds moved soil and dust many thousands of kilometres. 


Deforestation is the removal of forest. This can be done in different ways, ranging from careful removal of some of the trees to complete removal of all vegetation. Of course, the more vegetation is removed, the more the soil will be prone to erosion. As most forests are in relatively wet areas, the erosion will mainly be due to water. Deforestation can have a massive effect on soil erosion, especially in tropical regions. The leaves of forest trees both deflect and slow down the progress of rain drops. This helps to stop them explosively removing soil particles. The root systems of forests help to bind the soil together and give it stability, while also absorbing large quantities of water from the soil directly. The absorbed water is eventually returned to the atmosphere via transpiration. 


Unsustainable agricultural techniques are techniques that cannot be applied over a long period of time without decrease in productivity or increased inputs of chemicals like fertilizers or energy. Urbanization and paving of land in cities for human settlements that result in run-off is also a major factor contributing to soil degradation. The scale of the problem is self evident. Hence, soil conservation methods, sustainable farming techniques and eco-friendly lifestyles are a must to conserve the soil that provides for us and sustains our planet.

Groundwater crisis in India

Ever since the Green Revolution, farmers’ dependence on intensive inputs like water and fertilizers has resulted in the serious depletion of the underground water table, in many states across the country. 

Farming is becoming increasingly unsustainable in these regions, as the map shows, and there is a heavy need to switch to more sustainable alternatives. However, the reverse has happened. Policymakers have only incentivized more groundwater usage through credit and subsidies for groundwater extraction equipment as well as low electricity tariffs that lead to excessive water usage. This is catastrophic – good for short-term profit, but soon the marginal output of farms will start decreasing and the environment would be beyond recovery. 

The choice of crops is also important – being water-abundant, the east is more suited to growing water-intensive crops like sugarcane and paddy. But differences in electricity supply have ensured that such crops have not found a place in their natural habitat. On the other hand, electricity subsidies and tariffs in the south and west India, regions with low water tables, encouraged sugarcane and paddy cultivation, draining these regions of their already low groundwater.

The need of the hour is to switch to surface water irrigation and other sustainable alternatives to groundwater depletion before it’s too late, and to prioritize crop growing according to what is most sustainable. The government must realize that short-term revenue cannot be the altar at which nature is sacrificed, and that it is for the benefit of all parties involved that unsustainable farming practices are discouraged.

 

What are the farm laws?

Everywhere in the news, there are different refrains about the protests and opinions for and against the new farm laws. But what exactly are these laws and how do they change the status quo? These laws are: The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act. They were passed in June as ordinances before being approved by Parliament during the Monsoon Session by a voice vote.

The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act provides for setting up a mechanism allowing the farmers to sell their farm produces outside the Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs). Before this law, they could only sell it in the government APMCs or ‘mandis.’ Now, any licence-holding trader can buy the produce from the farmers at mutually agreed prices, which will be free of the ‘mandi tax’ imposed by state governments. Some think this will allow agribusinesses to monopolize the market through initially low prices and exploit farmers, and some think it will result in better prices for the farmers and a more efficient agricultural market because of more choices.


The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act allows farmers to do contract farming and market their produces freely. Some think it will result in the wage slavery of farmers but others think it will increase investment in the agricultural sector.


The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act is an amendment to the existing Essential Commodities Act. This law freed items such as food grains, pulses, edible oils and onion for trade except in extraordinary situations. As such, it is not as contentious as the previous 2 laws.


The main grouse of the protesting farmers with these laws, especially the first one, is the lack of an MSP (minimum standard price) assurance. They believe they will suffer because of big businesses reducing prices after monopolizing the markets. However, the people that oppose this idea believe that the MSP system is inefficient and only results in wastage. Only time can tell who will win this battle of ideas and what will happen to the agricultural sector.

Organic Farming: Beneficial for the farmers,For the ConsumersAnd to the Nature

Article by – Shishir Tripathi

Intern at Hariyali Foundation
In collaboration with
Educational News

In the present times with new inventions in the field of chemicals and agriculture various fertilizers have been invented and are sold to the farmers to be used in farms. Farmers use those fertilizers and get higher yields in the starting one or two years but after some years the fertility of the soil starts falling. At the end, the farmland needs more and more fertilizers and failing to provide fertilizers in high amount to the soil, the fields are left uncultivated and hence the lands turns barren.

But wait!, in this world of new scientific inventions, some people have found a new technique which will help the soil regain its lost fertility and stay fertile for some more years. Yes, the technique is Organic Farming. Though the name sounds somewhat scientific, in actual it is scientific but will not at all harm the soil but will maintain its fertility for many years.

Organic farming is an integrated farming system that strives for sustainability, the enhancement of soil fertility and biological diversity while prohibiting synthetic pesticides and antibiotics, synthetic fertilizers genetically modified organisms and other unnatural methods of growth.

When talking about fields or farms, growing different cops on the same farm at the same time will help the soil to have a balance of nutrients otherwise it happens that certain crops consume more nutrients from the soil and there are lesser nutrients for the crop grown in the other season. This method of farming different crops is known as polyculture. Planting a variety of vegetable crops supports a wider range of beneficial insects, soil microorganisms, and other factors that add up to overall farm health. Crop diversity helps environments thrive and protects species from going extinct.

Secondly, the organic farming is concerned with management o soil. The soil loses nutrients each time a crop is grown on it, so for regaining those nutrients, compost, vermicompost and green manure can be used. These are environment friendly techniques having good impact on the soil for years. Also other techniques like crop rotation, crop covering, reduced tillage; intercropping and other similar techniques are needed to be followed for increasing the productivity of soil. Also crop residues can be ploughed once again with soil and will work as manure.

Thirdly, weed management on the fields is equally important. Weeds are those unwanted plants that consume nutrients from the soil and affect the growth of the crops. Removal of weeds from the fields is important so that the crop grown can grow in the soil without any hindrance in the process of consuming nutrients by unwanted plants of the other types. Weeds can be removed by introducing animals who do not consume the crop grown and just consume the weeds. Techniques like Mulching, flame weeding, thermal weeding, mowing and cutting, etc could be used for removal of weeds from the fields.

There are different factors other than weeds that affect the natural crop growth on farms like nematodes, fungi, bacteria, rodents, pests, etc. there are certain methods to remove such factors from the soil like introduction of beneficial insects for the soil against the harmful insects, using insect traps for capturing rodents, introducing good microorganisms for the soil, rotation of crops every season or using natural insecticides and herbicides.

Introduction of livestock onto the fields and providing them natural conditions to feed there and coming back again to their shelters in the evening. This nothing new but an old technique that was used by people in the past times as people had other work to do, they used to drop the cattle at the fields and go for other work. Also, before leaving the fields entirely for the cattle it must be ensured that whatever the cattle is eating it should be organic in nature, nothing else otherwise that will harm their health and overgrazing is also not done by the cattle.

And lastly composting is to be done by the farmers so that the crop gets its nutrients from time to time. Vegetable wastes, unwanted weeds removed from the fields and other dried leaves and the crop residuals are needed to be buried down in a pit and earthworms and red worms are introduced to decay it and these residual materials along with worms is covered by soil. The compost gets ready after three or four months and is very beneficial to the soil. Even some farmers call it as ‘Black Gold’.

In such way organic farming is done by the farmers along with keeping the livestock at the farms and exposing the fields entirely to the natural techniques that are important for the crop growth and helpful in maintaining the soil fertility. The crops, vegetable and the other products are really nutritious for human health. Therefore, people prefer Organic foods these days and the farmers too can get good amount for their produce.


All in all organic farming is really productive technique for the crops and the farms, a way of earning good income to the farmers and the only way for the consumers get naturally produced and nutritious foods.

Agricultural Marketing; a boost for Agro-Products and their contribution towards G.D.P.

Article by – Shishir Tripathi
Intern at Hariyali Foundation
In collaboration with
Educational News

For an Agrarian Economy like India, the agricultural sector should contribute more than any other sector in the Gross Domestic Product (G.D.P) but even after being an occupation of almost 55 -60% of people, agriculture is contributing just 15 – 20% in the G.D.P. Being an occupation of such a large group of people and still minimal share in the G.D.P. of the economy means that there are certain limitations which are needed to be overcome.


The biggest limitation is that the agricultural products right from the simple wheat to a produced wheat bread, there is absence of proper agricultural marketing.

Now, when one uses this terms agricultural marketing, he or she is simply referring to an organized process of planning, organizing, directing and handling of agricultural produce in such a way as to satisfy the farmers, intermediaries and consumers. It involves numerous inter connected activities like planning production, growing and harvesting, grading, packing and packaging, transport, storage, agro and food processing, provision of market information, distribution, advertising and sale.

Agricultural marketing is based upon the idea of reducing the distance between the farmers (producers) and the consumers. It is a broader concept not just limited to villages and small towns but across the International borders too. Planned agriculture which comes under agricultural marketing is important so that whatever crop is produced it meets the demand of the consumers in the form of finished products. It aims in such a way that there is neither a situation of excess supply or excess production (that is just left uncared without good storage facilities) nor a situation of excess demand.

It also includes growing and harvesting of crops paying extra attention towards the techniques followed in the production process and efficient use of land and human resource along with technological resources too.

Grading is also done amongst different types of harvested crops and other agricultural products so that different types of products are available to different types of consumers with different requirements and available financial resources.

After Grading, the product is needed to be packaged in such way that it must be appealing to the consumers including use of different images and colors, and involving the details of the ingredients and the nutritional value of the product. Packaging the products in such a way that they must last longer and can be stored as well at the stockrooms and at consumers’ place as well.

Storage facilities are needed to developed by the government and other concerned authorities so that whichever good is produced in ample amounts, it can be stored for future without any degradation in the quality of the product due to insects, rats and other factors like moisture, rain, heat, etc.

Various researchers are trying to study markets and find the idealistic market structure for people living in villages and small town. The emphasis to markets is given in such a way that they meet the requirements of all the people living in that particular area.

Also, the transportation facilities are needed to be facilitated properly and should be made available to the producers in the remote areas of the country. The transportation costs must be affordable so that every producer willing to transport his produce or product should not stop himself or herself in being a part of this long chain and enjoying the benefits after the final sale of the produce or other agricultural products.


Now the most important of all is branding and advertising. Even if any other foreign firm or domestic firm is willing to sell the product under its label then also proper advertising should be there for the given product through Television ads and promotions through social media on various Apps. Advertising should be done in such a way that the product should look so appealing to the consumer and an urgent feel of purchasing the concerned product should be felt by the consumer after watching the advertisement. The buyers must feel that how important the product is to them in their daily lives after watching the product’s advertisement.

And the market for the product is again very important whether the product is sold online through e-commerce sites or is sold by various outlets in the cities and towns. A well managed system is needed so that the good that is sold to consumer is of the best quality and a justified price and the producers along with the intermediaries involved in this long chain are satisfied and get their share after the sale of a good.

Agro products not only include crop produce and other products manufactured from those crops but also the products produced by the people at local level such as milk from cattle, honey from bee-keeping, etc.

Such mechanisms will increase the share of primary sector in the G.D.P. The state and the central governments should make provisions and provide incentives to the producers and the intermediaries for developing such a fruitful mechanism that will be giving good returns to the country as well in the form of overall growth of people in remote areas and prosperity of the nation too.

Rainwater Harvesting : A Technique of great help to Indian Farmers

Article by – Shishir Tripathi
Intern at Hariyali Foundation
In collaboration with
Educational News

The Indian economy is basically an ‘Agrarian Economy’ that implies that most of the country’s working population depend upon agriculture for their livelihood. Relying upon the figures, it’s noticeable that almost 60-65% of the Indian workforce is engaged in agriculture. Being an occupation for such a large group of people in the country, agriculture in India still has a lot of problems and challenges in it.


The primary problem is the problem of irrigation. The villages and farms located near river banks and big canals are the ones who hardly face this problem of irrigation. As of June 25, 2019, nearly 65% of the country’s reservoirs were running dry. One of the worst affected areas has been the west-central state of Maharashtra, where six of the 17 reservoirs are dried out.


There are not just big farmers in the country of India. Here in India, there are tenants who work on the farms of others and those farmers too who have just a very small patch of land which they cultivate for their livelihood. Small farmers in India don’t have financial resources to get access to techniques like Drip Irrigation, availability of own tube wells, etc. Many a times, it happens that the farmers have to either take loans from moneylenders at high rates or just leave the farms parched.

The partial solution to the problem of water scarcity and the irrigation is Rainwater Harvesting. Rainwater Harvesting is simply the process of collection and storage of rain, rather than allowing it to run off freely into drains. Rainwater is collected from a roof-like surface and redirected to a tank, cistern, deep pit (well, shaft, or borehole), aquifer or a reservoir with percolation.


Now moving ahead from the ideal definition stated from Wikipedia, in reality people just have to go for a roof like system above their houses and the roofs of their dried tube wells. In this system of Rainwater harvesting, the water from the first rain showers is drained of and the rest of the water is collected. The water gets collected in a big tank throughout the rainy season and is used afterwards.


The rainwater being the purest form of water can even be used for purposes of drinking, cooking, bathing, etc. Some people collect the rainwater in underground built tanks of depth 10 -12 feet and in hotter regions like Rajasthan people collect rainwater in big rooms adjacent to the living rooms. As the water filled tanks (rooms) are just attached to the normal living rooms, it gets so cooler and pleasant in hot summers. Big tanks can be built later in future after seeing the amount of rain in the first year of trying rainwater harvesting. Farmers can use the same water for irrigation purposes too.

Though, some crops require more water but the technique of rainwater harvesting will really help the farmers to a very great extent. Government should think about providing some subsidies to the poor farmers for building some tanks like this for saving the precious rain water.

First of all it will be an ecofriendly technique and secondly a cost saving technique too.
People living in the regions of North – East have adopted the similar technique for saving water. There are pipes built from bamboo that are used to supply water from one place to another. The tanks are built at the bottom of the hills; these are community tanks built by all the villagers together. The walls and the floors of the tanks are plastered with paddy husk to avoid seepage of water and later whenever the tank gets empty the soil and the silt at the base is used as manure by the farmers.


Similar Environment friendly techniques are needed to be promoted and implemented in other parts of India so that the farmers should not suffer from problems like scarcity of water. And also there should be techniques for the storage of water that gets logged in towns and villages. The same water should be treated and used for recharging the ground water resources which are getting empty by each passing day.


Therefore, the shift towards eco-friendly techniques like Rainwater Harvesting will give sustained prosperity in the field of Agriculture.

Empowering the Rural India : A step closer towards building “The New INDIA”

Article by – Shishir Tripathi
Intern at Hariyali Foundation
In collaboration with
Educational News

It is generally said that behind a properly functioning, powerful system there is another support system i.e. the base on which the system is set up. There are many such examples to support the above statement. In case of Computer, it’s the motherboard that serves as the backbone of the system connecting all the major parts in it. Another example is the human body itself, the spinal cord or simply the backbone serves as the medium to support the whole body.


Similarly in case of a Nation, there are different fields and sectors together forming a support system for the nation. Particularly talking about Indian Economy, her it is all about the rural India which forms the backbone of the Indian Economy. It is generally said that a tree can stay straight for years, only if its roots are strong. In the same fashion, a nation will survive and prosper if its roots are so strong.


The condition of Rural India at present is not so good. There is the problem where the system gets stuck. The service sector and the manufacturing sectors are performing at their best level they could operate. Some technological upgradations will work. But what about the agriculture sector which is basically in the rural India.


The condition of farmers in India is not so good. Being an agrarian economy, India has to take a lot of steps for performing at the optimum level in the agricultural sector and other small sectors too which come from Rural India.


There are several problems in the villages of India. The primary problem for the people living in Rural Indian is the problem of proper sanitation and drainage system. In rains, water logging is the main problem in general with almost every village. Under the Swachh Bharat Mission, toilets are built in villages but more attention is needed to be paid there too. Sometimes, the contractors use poor quality material for building the toilets and as a result of which the toilets don’t stand for so long. Secondly, not only toilets, but a proper drainage system should be there for exit of water from the villages to avoid drenching of streets in villages.


Moving ahead towards the agricultural sector that fulfills the requirements of food for the Nation and even exports the agricultural products. Firstly, there should be development of proper irrigation techniques. Promoting inventions in such fields or sectors should be encouraged by the means of advertising so that others could also use those techniques in their fields. Due to unavailability of financial resources, farmers in India depend entirely upon rain and hence are at loss due to uneven rainfall. Big farmers afford techniques like tube wells and other such techniques but the small farmers with no such resources have to entirely depend upon rains.


Also, availability of efficient harvesting techniques at cheaper rates to small farmers will eventually lead to better harvest and proper collection of yield within lesser time too.


When it comes to selling of agricultural products farmers are again at loss because their products even after being of superior quality do not get proper advertising and attractive packaging. Other cheaper products from foreign firms dominate the Indian Market and as a result of which the local products and producers suffer.


When it comes to the matter of Finance, there too Farmers suffer. Banks say farmers are unable to pay the loans back when sudden loss occurs due to floods, fires, pest attacks, etc. Government should encourage the Insurance and other policies covering the crops of different seasons at lesser premiums. Also, from the side of farmers it is generally heard that they didn’t get the loan because of the long documentation process.


A proper mechanism is needed to be developed here again which will help the agriculture sector flourish and also minimizing the loss of banks.
Moving further, setting up of small manufacturing units for women there in villages only is again very important for making the core of the Indian Economy. Though, the governments have done a lot in the field of small scale industries in the form of allowing the loan availability through Self Help Groups but still some medications, some alterations in the policies for the local manufacturers should be considered by the government.

A farmer working happily on his farm, a woman working with pride in the small scale industry of her village will succeed the dream of New India in true sense and will bring wholesome prosperity to the Nation.

Kisan Rail

The First Kisan Rail introduced by the Ministry of  Railways will start  from Devlali in Maharastra Nashik at 11 am  to Danapur  in Bihar’s  capital , patna ,on August 7 , 2020. 

Narendra singh Tomar , Union Agriculture Minister will launch the country’s first kisan special parcel Train via video conference which was announced in budget 2020.
The train will make stoppage at different stations carrying fruits , vegetables ,etc and it will be not carrying regular passengers . It will have coaches 10 +1.
This train will  be going on weekly basis  and will reach Danapur at 6.45 pm the next day , after completing the distance of 1519 km in over 31 hours .
The stoppages of this train – Manmad, Naski Road ,Bhusaval ,Jalgaon ,Burhanpur ,Itarsi , khandwa  , katni , Jabalpur , Satna , Manikpur ,pt. Deendayal upadhyay Nagar , Prayagraj clhheoki , Buxar.
As per the railway ministry , Nasik and the surrounding region provides a high quality of fruits and vegetables , onions , flowers , other perishables mainly also  transported to the region around Allahabad , patna , satna and Katni.
There shall be refrigerated coaches in freight trains and express as well. A cold supply chain to be build for meat , milk and fish for transportation of perishable traffic.

Problem of Food Wastage in India

Food is the most fundamental among the essential necessities of life . Food squander is the serious issue in our nation which brings down country head with disgrace because numerous individuals passes on every day because of craving.

FOOD WASTAGE

Food wastage primary rotates around any type of food , crude or cooked utilized or unused disposed of or proposed .At wide level it is additionally enhanced into different classes and suggestions, for example, the sort of food squander, the structure it is delivered/created by and materials and wellspring of waste.

ABOUT THE MAGNITUDE OF FOOD WASTAGE IN INDIA

As per reports by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), about 40 percent of India’s new products of the soil – worth a yearly $8.3bn or thereabouts – perishes before arriving at buyers. Every year, some 21m metric huge amounts of wheat, particularly grain – a sum practically equivalent to Australia’s all out yearly creation – spoils in India in light of ill-advised capacity in the guardianship of the legislature controlled Food Corporation of India.As indicated by an ongoing report by the Indian Institute of Management in Kolkata, cold storerooms are accessible for only 10 percent of India’s transitory produce – and are for the most part utilized for potatoes – to meet India’s hearty interest for chips. The investigation gauges that India needs stockpiling offices for another 370m metric huge amounts of short-lived produce.

CAUSES

1.Weddings blamed for colossal food squander

The monetary development of India won’t tally if the nation individuals bite the dust for hunger.

For imagining families are simply squandering the nation food by surpassing the food things to show there freshly discovered affluence. 1/5 of food served at weddings and get-together s is disposed of, “It’s a criminal waste,” The huge amounts of food squandered at get-together s the nation over every day stands out pointedly from the food deficiencies, frequently verging on constant starvation, looked by a huge number of poor Indians.

2.Inadequate capacity framework

In spite of a great many Indians heading to sleep on an eager stomach, the nation is letting food worth an incredible Rs 44,000 crore go squander every year because of absence of sufficient stockpiling infrastructure.The Saumitra Chaudhuri Committee, comprised by the Planning Commission in 2012, has assessed the nation’s cool stockpiling prerequisite as 61.3 million ton as against the current limit of around 29 million ton.

  1. Awareness

What to state illetrate individual , educated are doing same thing.People are uninformed of the issue the nation is confronting bcz they have cash and they usuallu would prefer not to mind at all until and except if they face a similar circumstance. Indeed, even adminstration resembles a visually impaired framework simply disregarding the fundamental development of the country.

4.Food Waste-to-Energy Conversion

The problem of waste administration stumbles into geologies and its gravest causal specialist, i.e., urban ism, is a worldwide wonder. In any case, its implications are moderately progressively articulated in creating countries by virtue of improved ways of life and changing utilization designs. The developing populace and expanding customer request are prompting unnecessary utilization of accessible assets and age of gigantic measure of various sort of squanders, which is rising as a chronic issue in urban social orders.

5.Lack of transport offices

We in India need appropriate transportation offices to connect with the market just as chilly stockpiling’s for new produce and food crates.The new produce carried on these long excursions is once in a while cooled or concealed, but instead oppressed – particularly in summers – to the rankling sun, making high paces of waste.

Remedies

  • As an individual,” Food that we BUY, EAT and WASTE is legitimately identified with the Global emergency we are confronting. It may be know to all of you that once in a while we eat everything that we purchase. So how about we make it a highlight BUY WHAT WE NEED and EAT WHAT WE BUY”.
  • At the shopper level, we can diminish our commitment to food and vitality
  • squander by taking basic, fundamental strides at home, in the supermarket and at cafe’s.
  • first of all, plan a food menu before each outing to the supermarket so it’s simpler to monitor when vegetables, products of the soil perishables should be eaten consistently.
  • Careful consideration ought to likewise be given to how food is put away and enclosed by the fridge so it doesn’t ruin as fast, and shoppers ought to make sure to purchase just what they will eat.
  • We ought not squander food in our plate , any place we are bcz the food which is going to squander or squandered is the guardian angel of others life.
  • Modernization in the food flexibly chain and increment foriegn speculation , better gathering machines , advancements , food bundling and so forth steps should received by the organization. Japanhas different laws relating to the various reasons for food wastage, for example, Container and Packaging Recycling Law’, ‘Food Wastes Recycling.

“ARRANGE YOUR BAD HABITS AS WASTE NOT FOOD”

Its an opportunity to wake up and this isn’t the obligation of just organization however every single individual .So before squandering a solitary bit of food consistently recall that we are just answerable for Food emergency.

Organic Farming

Organic farming is an alternative agricultural system which originated early in the 20th century in reaction to rapidly changing farming practices. Organic agriculture is a production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people. It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects. Organic agriculture combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit the shared environment and promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved. It is defined by the use of fertilizers of organic origin such as compost manure, green manure, and bone meal and places emphasis on techniques such as crop rotation and companion planting. Biological pest control, mixed cropping and the fostering of insect predators are encouraged. Organic standards are designed to allow the use of naturally occurring substances while prohibiting or strictly limiting synthetic substances. 

Advantages of organic farming

  Reasons for advocation of organic farming include advantages in sustainability, openness, self-sufficiency, autonomy/independence, health, food security, and food safety. Organic methods can increase farm productivity, repair decades of environmental damage and knit small farm families into more sustainable distribution networks leading to improved food security if they organize themselves in production, certification and marketing. During last few years an increasing number of farmers have shown lack of interest in farming and the people who used to cultivate are migrating to other areas. Organic farming is one way to promote either self-sufficiency or food security. Use of massive inputs of chemical fertilizers and toxic pesticides poisons the land and water heavily. The after-effects of this are severe environmental consequences, including loss of topsoil, decrease in soil fertility, surface and ground water contamination and loss of genetic diversity..                                                                                              

How is organic farming different from conventional farming?

 While conventional agriculture uses synthetic pesticides and water-soluble synthetically purified fertilizers, organic farmers are restricted by regulations to using natural pesticides and fertilizers. An example of a natural pesticide is pyrethrin, which is found naturally in the Chrysanthemum flower. The principal methods of organic farming include crop rotation, green manures and compost, biological pest control, and mechanical cultivation. These measures use the natural environment to enhance agricultural productivity: legumes are planted to fix nitrogen into the soil, natural insect predators are encouraged, crops are rotated to confuse pests and renew soil, and natural materials such as potassium bicarbonate and mulches are used to control disease and weeds. Genetically modified seeds and animals are excluded.

While organic is fundamentally different from conventional because of the use of carbon based fertilizers compared with highly soluble synthetic based fertilizers and biological pest control instead of synthetic pesticides, organic farming and large-scale conventional farming are not entirely mutually exclusive. Many of the methods developed for organic agriculture have been borrowed by more conventional agriculture. For example, Integrated Pest Management is a multifaceted strategy that uses various organic methods of pest control whenever possible, but in conventional farming could include synthetic pesticides only as a last resort.

Nutrient management in organic farming

In organic farming, it is important to constantly work to build a healthy soil that is rich in organic matter and has all the nutrients that the plants need. Several methods viz. green manuring, addition of manures and biofertilizers etc can be used to build up soil fertility. These organic sources not only add different nutrients to the soil but also help to prevent weeds and increase soil organic matter to feed soil microorganisms. Soil with high organic matter resists soil erosion, holds water better and thus requires less irrigation. Some natural minerals that are needed by the plants to grow and to improve the soil’s consistency can also be added. Soil amendments like lime are added to adjust the soil’s pH balance. However soil amendment and water should contain minimum heavy metals. Most of the organic fertilizers used are recycled by-products from other industries that would otherwise go to waste. Farmers also make compost from animal manures and mushroom compost. Before compost can be applied to the fields, it is heated and aged for at least two months, reaching and maintaining an internal temperature of 130°-140°F to kill unwanted bacteria and weed seeds. A number of organic fertilizers / amendments and bacterial and fungal biofertilizers can be used in organic farming depending upon availability and their suitability to crop. 

Limitations of organic farming

  • Proponents of organic farming have claimed that organic agriculture emphasizes closed nutrient cycles, biodiversity, and effective soil management providing the capacity to mitigate and even reverse the effects of climate change and that organic agriculture can decrease fossil fuel emissions
  • Nitrogen leaching, nitrous oxide emissions, ammonia emissions, eutrophication potential and acidification potential were higher for organic products. Excess nutrients in lakes, rivers, and groundwater can cause algal blooms, eutrophication, and subsequent dead zones. In addition, nitrates are harmful to aquatic organisms by themselves.
  • Organic farming requires 84% more land for an equivalent amount of harvest, mainly due to lack of nutrients but sometimes due to weeds, diseases or pests, lower yielding animals and land required for fertility building crops.While organic farming does not necessarily save land for wildlife habitats and forestry in all cases.
  • The variable nature of food production and handling makes it difficult to generalize results, and there is insufficient evidence to make claims that organic food is safer.

Welcome changes to stamp duty rates!

It is welcome that the Center has excused and normalized stamp obligation rates on protections showcase exchanges from July 1, and smoothed out the assortment instrument. Offers, shared reserve buys and obligation instruments for the most part would draw in a stamp obligation of 0. 005%, and for move of security it would be 0. 015%. Stamp obligation and enrollment expenses yield sizeable income for states, around 0. 7% of GDP every year. Be that as it may, till a month ago, we had various stamp obligation rates across states for similar instruments, prompting routine jurisdictional questions and numerous frequencies of obligation. That implied high exchange costs in the protections advertise that basically harmed capital development.

The Finance Act of 2019 amended the Indian Stamp Act, 1899; its usage was deferred by Covid-19. Prior, stamp obligation was payable by both vender and purchaser. In the new framework, it is collected distinctly on one side, payable either by the vender or the purchaser, put something aside for specific instruments of trade where stamp obligation would be borne by the two players in equivalent extent. The guidelines necessitate that stock trades, clearing partnerships and stores gather the stamp obligation and pass it ‘inside three weeks of the finish of every month’ to the concerned state where the living arrangement of the purchaser of the security is found. Most likely, with computerized exchanges, the assets move can be far snappier in order to support income efficiency.

Quite, no stamp obligation is chargeable on exchanges of stock trades and safes arrangement in coastal IFCs like GIFT City. The legitimization implies a lot of lower stamp obligation rates for loan cost, money subordinate instruments and furthermore for repo, or repurchase, commitment in corporate securities. The proceeding with disjointedness of tax collection from protections exchanges needs tending to.

The heavy burden of social suffering!

The wretchedness the pandemic has caused to the helpless focuses to the repulsive manners by which social orders are composed.

It is a cliché that enduring is a piece of life. Nobody, actually nobody, is excluded from it.

A profound philosophical understanding of this case is given by the incomparable Buddha: the simple actuality of human presence involves enduring in light of the fact that everything on the planet is fleeting , transient. Its impending vanishing is experienced as a misfortune, causing anguish. This basic blemish on the planet keeps all of us in a close perpetual condition of ‘dukkha’ or radical uneasiness.

Unpreventable truth

There is a second, critical sense in which every single individual are liable to anguish. We as a whole experience a profoundly negative, undesirable experience when day by day schedule is disturbed by infection, affliction, maturing, demise, characteristic fiasco or when an incident surprisingly collides with our life. Some portion of their life cycle, all people are similarly powerless against it. Buddha conversed with extraordinary shrewdness about it as do the Indian stories. For sure, most religions on the planet endeavor to address and comprehend this pervasive, certain human enduring that is both physical and mental (sentiments of significant futility, misery and gloom). Incomprehensibly, our very ability to reflect, to recollect our past and envision a future increases this affliction.

Buddha talked not just about the profoundly felt enduring brought about by major, troublesome scenes throughout everyday life yet in addition minor, constant, day by day enduring — offense caused inside a person by an exertion going waste, an unfulfilled desire or a botched chance, by the persevering disturbances inside social cooperations. In a roundabout way, he separated enduring by its length — present moment, wordy or long haul, ceaseless. The incomparable Asoka presented another measurement, certainly recognizing enduring by its source, by what causes it, as emerging inside human office or outside it. Claiming up obligation, he communicated regret at the huge and proceeding with anguish he caused to the individuals of Kalinga. He recognized how the misery brought about by a war he pursued started a chain response, making an ever-enlarging circle of co-victims.

The dim and awful Mahabharata additionally talks about war, a moderately short 18-day scene wherein monstrous human enduring was caused by one gathering on another. Accordingly, we may recognize types of human enduring by their (a) source, (b) power and gravity and (c) length. With these, we can home in on a third type of ‘dukkha’ — in which grave disturbances brought about by people become a suffering component of day by day life, as when humankind was constantly assaulted by the two universal wars.

Horrible pictures

Such giant wretchedness dispensed by one gathering of people on another or by the rulers on the managed may be called socio-political affliction. This indefensible experience, a result of different demonstrations of commission or exclusion by influential individuals in the public arena who do battle, force cruel monetary measures, purposely sow social divisions or work to serve a couple with no respect for the government assistance of the bigger, feeble populace, is totally avoidable. As of not long ago in mankind’s history, this foundational brutality and organized persecution was scarcely perceived the truth about: something not given to however made by people.

It is this man-made enduring that has as of late attacked our lives. It is instigated neither exclusively by COVID-19 nor by the choice to lockdown however generally by how the lockdown has been taken care of, helping us to remember Arthur Schopenhauer’s remark that “the world is Hell, and men are from one viewpoint the wounded spirits and on the other the villains in it”. Lakhs of destitute, shoeless specialists walking many kilometers under the searing sun. A pregnant lady conveying a heap on her head, or lying in a truck pushed by her better half; a mother conveying an infant on the asphalt and minutes after the fact rising up to reestablish her excursion or pulling a wrecked bag on wheels with a four-year-old sticking to it; a 10-year-old crumbling on the side of the road, depleted by the heat;a cart puller from Delhi cycling right to Bihar with all his family and common merchandise; scores stowing away in the guts of a dumper to evade the correctional look of the police, thousands spending unlimited evenings on the stage trusting that the guaranteed train will show up and take them home, hundreds killed on the railroad track or the street by speeding vehicles or trains, their food, blood and chappals thronw all over the place.

These pictures that have flashed past us are breaking, first since they show the sheer corporeality of misery — agony and injury, incredible weariness and depletion, presentation to over the top warmth, stomachs throbbing with hunger, dried throats, sickness and tipsiness; and second, since they display unendurable mental trouble — stifled anger, pain at the predicament of old guardians or little youngsters, nostalgia, dread, loss of poise, mortification, social dismissal, selling out, the relentless acknowledgment that you live with other people who treat you as dispensable waste, as trash. They all join to produce a far reaching assault on one’s personhood joined by a sentiment of overpowering misery that one exists by any means. We have been seeing here a concentrated type of what a large number of individuals experience every day in a few or another piece of the world, distinctly bringing into help that huge scope disturbances, for example, the current pandemic compound basic enduring of millions and point to the repulsive manners by which numerous social orders are presently sorted out.

Moral detachment

There is some kind of problem with this world, and gravely, amazingly amiss with our ethical lack of concern to this every day forswearing of mankind to other people. How could it be that we, bodily creatures, similarly powerless against agony and pain, permit others to encounter expresses that we won’t acknowledge for a moment? How might we acknowledge a procedure of self-development that just neglects to make us moral? By what method can a country be worked without sahahridyata (mutual sentiments, empathy)?How can a social structure exist that renders unnecessary those very individuals who put their life and blood in looking after it? Is it accurate to say that we are occupied with an obsolete ceremony of savagery which we know to be inadequate without the penance of the most valuable, the most imperative among us?

Oh dear, this ethical coarseness — the capacity to separate from foiling conditions, to not see or feel for them, hear or consider them — isn’t only a protective mental methodology to keep normal yet an imbued propensity, comprising what we are, a piece of our preparation since adolescence, a quality in our character. Maybe, it is basic to our picked, liberal way of life — one supported by social and financial procedures that begin in the painstakingly shrouded abuse of others. Without a doubt, a portion of these practices have an old genealogy — for example, the various leveled station framework established on abuse of basic others; others are a lot of a result of present day innovation and association. Doesn’t a typical irreverent string go through the remote control bombarding of regular citizen populaces, the sorted out hardware of destructive savagery, the catastrophic demolition of the earth and the auxiliary destitution of millions?

We are largely at fault in this grave bad behavior. However, this common obligation is reviewed. Those with more influence and riches, the individuals who run the state and the huge companies must bear more noteworthy duty regarding aggregate affliction.

There may have been when a great many people arranged themselves to a world that was minimal more than what Schopenhauer called ‘a reformatory province’, where life itself was seen as discipline, in which nothing untoward or unpredictable was found in the tortures of life. Common cataclysms and man-made abuse were seen as a major aspect of the request for things. This appears to have changed all over the place and in India as well, especially by the experience of the counter pilgrim battle and the energy of contemporary political majority rules system. Today an ever increasing number of individuals consider some others liable for part of their anguish and expect governments that are run in their name to take care of business. Undoubtedly, when suitable, they straightforwardly, freely accuse governments as well. Along these lines, individual residents and governments, be careful!

“Agriculture” is the most healthful, most useful and most noble Employment of man.

Agriculture is the foundation of manufactures, since the productions of nature are the materials of art. -Edward Gibbon

Agriculture plays a critical role in the entire life of a given economy. Agriculture is the backbone of the economic system of a given country. In addition to providing food and raw material, agriculture also provides employment opportunities to very large percentage of the population. 

The main source livelihood of many people is agriculture. Approximately 70 % of the people directly rely on agriculture as a mean of living. This high percentage in agriculture is as a result of none development of non-agricultural activities to absorb the fast-growing population. However, most people in developed countries do not engage in agriculture.

Contribution to National revenue
Agriculture is the main source of national income for most developing countries. However, for the developed countries, agriculture contributes a smaller per cent age to their national income.

Agriculture was the first occupation of man, and as it embraces the whole earth, it is the foundation of all other industries.
–Edward W. Stewart

Significance to the International Trade Agricultural products like sugar, tea, rice, spices, tobacco, coffee etc. constitute the major items of exports of countries that rely on agriculture. If there is smooth development practice of agriculture, imports are reduced while export increases considerably. This helps to reduce countries unfavorable balance of payments as well as saving foreign exchange. This amount may be well used to import other essential inputs, machinery, raw-material, and other infrastructure that is helpful for the support of country’s economic development.

The agriculture we seek will act like an ecosystem, feature material recycling and run on the contemporary sunlight of our star.
-Wes Jackson


The growth of agricultural sector contributes to marketable surplus. Many people engage in manufacturing, mining as well as other non- agricultural sector as the nation develops. All these individuals rely on food production that they might meet from the nation’s marketable surplus. As agricultural sector development takes place, production increases and this leads to expansion of marketable surplus. This may be exported to other nations.
The main source of raw materials to major industries such as cotton and jute fabric, sugar, tobacco, edible as well as non-edible oils is agriculture. Moreover, many other industries such as processing of fruits as well as vegetables and rice husking get their raw material mainly from agriculture.

Agriculture is the great art of directing and aiding nature in the performance of those functions which were designed by Providence for the comfort and subsistence of man.
–Lewis Cass

Since agriculture employs many people it contributes to economic development. As a result, the national income level as well as people’s standard of living is improved. The fast rate of development in agriculture sector offers progressive outlook as well as increased motivation for development. Hence, it aids to create good atmosphere for overall economic development of a country. Therefore, economic development relies on the agricultural growth rate.

An agricultural life is one eminently calculated for human happiness and human virtue.
–C. L. ALLEN

From the twentieth century, intensive agriculture increased productivity. It substituted synthetic fertilizers and pesticides for labor, but caused increased water pollution, and often involved farm subsidies. In recent years there has been a backlash against the environmental effects of conventional agriculture, resulting in the organic, regenerative, and sustainable agriculture movements.

Agriculture for an honorable and high-minded man, is the best of all occupations or arts by which men procure the means of living.
-Xenophon

In spite of many commercial options coming up, many rely on agriculture for their income. Agriculture is a nature-friendly and most peaceful method of livelihood. It is a very reliable source of livelihood for mankind and also one of the honest sources of incomes. Many people from developing nations rely on agriculture for livelihood. Some people involved in other business or jobs still have agriculture as a side business. Agriculture does not limit to cultivation and farming alone. It also extends to dairy, poultry, fisheries, sericulture, beekeeping (honey insects), etc.

These are also dependent on agriculture cultivation in some or other way. Farming becomes more profitable when combined with these alternative methods.

Agriculture, manufactures, commerce and navigation, the four pillars of our prosperity, are the most thriving when left most free to individual enterprise.     

Thomas Jefferson

Locusts- The Hungry Beasts

The farmers are already distressed because of Covid-19 and to add to their misery, the locusts have invaded their farms. After creating havoc in East Africa, Middle East and Pakistan, these swarms of locusts have arrived in India. 

What are locusts?

Locusts are nothing but grasshoppers in a group. They are grasshoppers when they are in solitary and locusts when they are in groups. They have been around but their sudden rise is associated with rise in cyclones and rainfalls. These environmental changes have been a favorable condition for them to breed. The increase in population density leads to changes in their appearance  and brain chemistry, which causes them to move in large groups or swarms. The current species are desert locusts. 

Why are they a problem?

Locusts basically eat everything that is green. A swarm of locusts consists of 40-80 million adults and that too in a range of one square km. They can cover an area of 100-150 kms in a day.They can eat as much as 10 elephants in one day. One locust has the capacity to consume 2.3kg of food per day. When there is a swarm attack for more than two continuous years it is called plague. 


As per the April data, they have destroyed 3,50,000 metric tons of cereal, nearly 2,00,000 hectares of cropland and over 1.3 million hectares of grazing land in Ethiopia. There were $2.5 billion dollars in crop damages after a 2003-2005 locust plague in West Africa. If not controlled they can do a lot of damage to the crops. The damage is not just related to crops but also the psychology of humans. Farmers put their heart and sole to raise crops and when they see it destroyed in minutes they are devastated. 


India is facing a problem after a span of 26 years. However, this time the locusts are immature and immature ones are more dangerous as they have a longer life span. The locusts that entered India are about 10-12 days old and are moving in search of food. Since, the Rabi harvesting is over and the Kharif sowing is yet to begin, they were unable to find any vegetation.

Is this a new problem?

Locusts have been a trouble for many decades. In the 19th century, Western America was troubled by a species of locusts called Rocky Mountain. They not only used to eat crops but also wool from the sheep, back of horses and even people’s clothes. These species are now believed to be extinct.   

How are they prevented?

They can be prevented to some extent with the use of some chemicals. There are experts who study weather patterns and past records of swarm to see where they might move next. That area is then sprayed with chemicals to prevent them. 


With the cyclone Amphan and early rains, these locusts will enjoy good breeding conditions in India and that will be a huge problem for Indian farmers.


PLANT GROWTH PROMOTING RHIZOBACTERIA

Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria or PGPR is a group of bacteria that can be found in the rhizosphere or it can be said that bacteria that colonize the roots of the plants that enhance plant growth. It is observed that the rhizosphere is the zone of maximum microbial activity. It is the rhizosphere region of the plant from where most of the essential mico and macro- nutrients are extracted. The different species of Bacteria, Fungi, Actinomycetes, Protozoa, and Algae can be found in the rhizosphere region, Bacteria being the most abundant.
The term PGPR was introduced by Kloepper and Schroth. They concluded that PGPR are not only associated with the roots to exert beneficial effects on plant development but also have positive effects on controlling phytopathogenic microbes. Therefore, PGPR is one of the active ingredients in biofertilizer.
Based on the interactions , PGPRs are of 2 different types :

  1. SYMBIOTIC or INTRACELLULAR BACTERIA (iPGPR) live inside plants and exchange metabolites directly by biofertilization, stimulation of plant growth, rhizoremediation, and plant stress control. While performing direct growth promotion, they behave as Biofertilizers.
  2. FREE – LIVING or EXTRACELLULAR BACTERIA (ePGPR) live outside plant cells and indirectly increases plant growth by reducing the impact of disease, by Antibiosis, induction of systemic resistance, and competition for nutrients and niches. While performing indirect plant growth promotion, they behave as Biopesticide.

PGPR shows an important role in sustainable agriculture industry.
Undoubtedly, there is an increased demand of crop production now-a-days and also a significant reduction of synthetic chemical pesticides and fertilizers which is a big challenge. So, the use of PGPR has been proven to be one of the best ways of increasing crop yields by facilitating plant growth.
PGPR show synergistic and antagonistic interactions with microorganisms within the rhizosphere and in bulk soil, which indirectly boosts the plant growth rate. PGPR also works as a biofertilizer for agricultural sustainability.
Agriculture is one of the human activities which leads to the increasing amount of chemical pollutants with the excessive and continuous use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. This causes further environmental damage causing a serious risk for human health.
For e.g. N2O is excessively released by continuous use of nitrogen fertilizers which causes Greenhouse effect and finally Global Warming. Farmers apply a high concentration of nitrogen fertilizers in the form of ammonium nitrate to increase crop yield but continuous use of nitrogen fertilizers decreases the Biological Nitrogen Fixation in soil.

For Sustainable Agriculture fulfillment, crops which are produced must be grown with disease resistance, salt tolerance, drought tolerance, heavy metal stress tolerance, and better nutritional value. Also, the use of soil microorganisms is the one possible way. Soil microbes increase the nutrient uptake capacity and water use efficiency in the soil. Among these soil microorganisms, PGPRs are mostly used which are capable of performing all the activities without environmental contamination. PGPR include the species of Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Azobacter, Variovorax, Azosprillum and Serratia.
But it is found that agricultural industries worldwide still not use the concept of PGPRs. This is due to the inconsistent properties of inoculated PGPR which can greatly influence the crop production.

 A PGPR must :

  1. Possess its survival in soil by tolerating several environmental factors.
  2. Be compatible with the crops on which it is inoculated.
  3. Be interactive with the already existing microflora in soil.
  4. Have a broad spectrum of action.
  5. Be safe for the environment.
  6. Enhance plant growth.
    Another challenge is that all Rhizobacteria do not possess the same mechanisms which is a major disadvantage for the environment therefore, PGPR still are not used as a biofertilizer in global agricultural productivity.