Union Budget Prioritizes Agricultural Research
Kartavya Desk Staff
#### Syllabus: Agriculture
#### Source: HT
Context: The Union Budget prioritizes agricultural research to enhance productivity and climate resilience. Funding for agriculture and allied activities rose by 8% to ₹1.52 trillion, with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare receiving a 4.5% increase from last year’s estimates.
About Agricultural education and research:
They are critical components of the development of the agriculture sector in India.
Importance of agricultural education and research in the development of the Agriculture sector
• Improved Farming Techniques: It helps farmers to adopt new technologies and techniques that can improve crop yields and reduce costs. This helps to increase productivity and profitability, leading to higher incomes for farmers.
• Better Seed Varieties: These seeds can be resistant to pests and diseases and can withstand adverse weather conditions, leading to higher crop yields.
• Increased Food Security: Agri education and research can help to increase food production by improving crop yields and introducing new crops.
• Environmental Sustainability: Agricultural education and research can help farmers adopt practices that conserve soil, water, and natural resources, leading to better environmental outcomes.
• Job Creation: The Agriculture sector is a major employer in India. Agricultural education and research can help to create new job opportunities by introducing new technologies and techniques that require skilled labour.
Challenges for effective implementation of agricultural education and research
• Under-investment in R&D: The budget for autonomous research bodies under the Ministry was cut by 2%, indicating a gap between the goal of improving agricultural research and actual funding. ICRIER research shows India’s agricultural research intensity (ARI) has fallen from 0.75% in 2008-09 to 0.4%, lower than Brazil’s 1.8% and China’s 0.6%.
• The budget for autonomous research bodies under the Ministry was cut by 2%, indicating a gap between the goal of improving agricultural research and actual funding.
• ICRIER research shows India’s agricultural research intensity (ARI) has fallen from 0.75% in 2008-09 to 0.4%, lower than Brazil’s 1.8% and China’s 0.6%.
• Impact of Climate Change: Agriculture is highly affected by climate change, impacting food security. In 2023-24, overall GDP grew by 8.2%, but agricultural GDP only grew by 1.4%, down from 4.7% the previous year, partly due to poor monsoon conditions from El Niño. Climate change is expected to cause more extreme weather, like uneven monsoons, floods, and droughts. The Economic Survey predicts wheat yields could drop by 19.3% by 2050 and 40% by 2080, worsening food insecurity and inflation. Extreme weather and supply-chain disruptions were key factors driving food inflation last year.
• Agriculture is highly affected by climate change, impacting food security. In 2023-24, overall GDP grew by 8.2%, but agricultural GDP only grew by 1.4%, down from 4.7% the previous year, partly due to poor monsoon conditions from El Niño.
• Climate change is expected to cause more extreme weather, like uneven monsoons, floods, and droughts. The Economic Survey predicts wheat yields could drop by 19.3% by 2050 and 40% by 2080, worsening food insecurity and inflation.
• Extreme weather and supply-chain disruptions were key factors driving food inflation last year.
Other Challenges:
• Lack of Infrastructure: The lack of basic infrastructure, such as roads, electricity, and water supply, in rural areas, makes it difficult for researchers to conduct field studies and for educators to reach out to farmers.
• Limited Access to Technology: Farmers often lack access to new technologies due to limited availability and affordability.
• Knowledge and Skill Gaps: The Agriculture sector is predominantly made up of smallholder farmers who often lack the knowledge and skills to adopt new farming practices and technologies.
• Limited Participation: Women and marginalized communities often face social and economic barriers that limit their participation in agricultural education and research programs.
Measures taken to promote Agricultural education and research
• Previous Budget (2023-24):
• Agriculture Accelerator Fund: The fund will be set up to encourage agri-startups by young entrepreneurs in rural areas. It will also bring in modern technologies to transform agricultural practices and increase productivity and profitability.
• In 3 years, 1 crore farmers will be supported by Natural Farming, for which 10,000 Bio Input Research Centers will be opened.
• The Indian Millets Research Centre, Hyderabad will be promoted as a Center of Excellence.
• The government of India established a full-fledged Department of Agricultural Research and Education in 1973
• Role of ICAR: ICAR manages various research programmes, such as horticultural research, soil fertility, agricultural mechanisation and pest management, aimed at improving the productivity and profitability of Indian agriculture.
• ICAR established Krishi Vigyan Kendras for the vocational training of farmers.
• It also assists farmers with access to improved technologies, efficient use of resources and technical support services.
• National Agricultural Higher Education Project: NAHEP launched by ICAR in 2017, with the objective of enhancing competitiveness while designing a market-oriented course curriculum, plans to develop 117 pilot courses to be offered by various agriculture universities.
• Digital Agriculture Mission: This has been initiated for 2021 -2025 by the government for projects based on new technologies like artificial intelligence, blockchain, remote sensing and GIS technology, use of drones and robots etc.
Conclusion
Agricultural education and research are crucial for the development of the agriculture sector. Therefore, it is vital to invest in agricultural education and research to support the long-term growth of the agriculture sector in India. The continued investment is critical to ensure sustainable agricultural growth and improved livelihoods for farmers in India.
Insta Links:
• Indian agriculture in the present times