Agricultural Research and Education Need for a Revamp

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Agricultural Research and Education Need for a
Revamp - J. Venkateswarlu
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Scope

• Present scenario
• Future Needs
• KIA focal

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Issues

• Green Revolution
• Food security
• Biotechnology
• Water Management
• Education
• Extension Education

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Green Revolution

• X FYP Mid term appraisal
• Ecological damage
• Technological fatigue

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WHY So?

• van der Waals philosophy Nature adjusting to
  the dynamic changes
• Prem Narains suggestions
• Present reductionist approach
• Dialectical perspective in RD agriculture

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The Chariot in Agricultural Research

• Crop varieties Big wheel
• Other components Orphaned wheels small in size
• Result
• Technology fatigue
• Fatigue in development of varieties
• Loss in biodiversity

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Other disturbing issues related to GR

• Deceleration in the growth of production systems
• Response to fertilizer low (7.8 kg/kg nutrients)
• Fall in profit margin by 14.2
• If viable alternative exists, 40 farmers like to
  leave farming

Planning Commission (2006)
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Other disturbing issues (contd.)

• Annual imports
• 2.0 Mts of pulses
• 5.0 Mts of vegetable oil
• For 2006-07 5.5 Mts of wheat
• Are we returning to the begging bowl

Planning Commission (2006)
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Some Suggestions
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Recent efforts of NARS
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Level playing field for the smallholder

• GR run out of steam (Manmohan Singh 2006)
• GR provided economic security for the rich
  nations, but not food security to the poor in
  developing countries (Ross 1998)
• Created TNA syndrome with RD
• Need is to extend the GR support system to
  regenerative agriculture

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The Need for the level playing field
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The Need for the level playing field (contd.)
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Food security
Access by all people at all times to enough food
for an active healthy life. Its essential
elements are the availability of food and the
ability to acquire it FAO 1983 World Bank 1986
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Food Security (contd.)

• Implies livelihood security at the level of each
  household
• Ensuring physical and economic access to
• Balanced diet
• Safe drinking water
• Environmental sanitation
• Primary education
• Basic healthcare
• George (2000)

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Facts of the Case

• 260 million people are still hungry, leave alone
  an active healthy life
• Drought accentuating the food insecurity
• One out of four in BPL families opt out of
  healthcare (CSSO)

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Biotechnology Crops

• Continue search for new genes from natural farm
  biodiversity
• Upcoming golden rice and GM potato
• Use BT for removing harmful substances in crops
• Neurotoxin in Kesari dal
• Cyanide in tapioca
• Aflotoxin in groundnut
• - Mangala Rai (2006)

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Biotechnology Crops (contd.)

• Use BT for avoiding undesirable elements in crops
  like
• Chickpea
• Sweetpea
• Potato
• - Mangala Rai (2006)

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Biotechnology Crops (contd.)

• Use BT for
• Resistance to virus
• Tolerance to drought, heat, salinity,
  micronutrient use efficiency
• - KIA (2005)

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Biotechnology Crops New Paradigms

• IPR regime and aggressive marketing of GE crops
  eclipsing the recent research efforts (Bt cotton
  vs cotton hybrids)
• GE crops replacing cheaper locally available
  alternatives (golden rice vs carrot and
  drumstick)
• The story of Bt brinjal

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Biotechnology Crops New proposed areas

• Induct C4 photosynthesis pathway into C3 plants
• N-fixation in cereals
• Breed for low-nutrient environment

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Biotechnology Micronutrients

• Recent focus on micronutrients
• SSNM CGIAR
• Evergreen revolution NCF
• Use BT for improved micronutrient inefficiency
  KIA
• Easy way
• Apply bulky organics
• Look for crop residue management

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Water Management

• KIA proposes
• Sustainable water use
• Quality management
• Remediation
• Modern tools in IWM INM (precision farming)

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Water Management A retrospect

• Traditional water harvesting systems
• Community management of water
• Poor quality soil and water management
• IWM INM
• Paddy cum fish culture
• Zabo farming
• Paddy cum duck farming

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A retrospect (contd.)

• Four water concept
• Practiced by smallholders in AP-well project
• Need in IGNP
• Water saving in crop production community
  initiative
• SRI (System of Rice Intensification)
• Efficient use of water community initiative
• Critical irrigation for pearlmillet in Nagour
  (Rajasthan) and Prakasam (Andhra Pradesh)

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Knowledge Bank

• Capture the single largest knowledge resource
  smallholder (Hutch 1976)
• Do not loose many person centuries of human
  scientific research which remains orally
  transmitted (Timberlake 1985)

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Education

• KIA (2005)
• Visits, exchanges, workshops, trainings,
• Critical mass of faculty scientists,
• Need-based niche / strategic / emerging areas
• Rapid commercialization
• NARS Deans Committee (2006)
• Budget enhancement from 14 to 20
• Revision, integration of teaching, research,
  extension
• SAU ICAR Institute linkages
• More practicals non-formal education, distance
  education
• Skills development

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Education (contd.)

• NCF (2006)
• Each scholar an entrepreneur
• Relative role of women and men in farming
  (equally empowering technologically)
• Food safety and security
• IIT / IIM type centres of excellence
• ICT in SAUs

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Existing systems

• Modular / capsular courses
• J. Raghotham Reddys 6 month field orientation
• ICT in Distance Learning System in Agricultural
  and Rural Development Open University, Nashik
• IGNOU effort Certificate course
• Global Open Food and Agriculture University MS
  Agro-ecology

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Extension Education Network

• 543 KVKs and 8 TTCs Learning by doing
• Frontline demonstrations
• IVLP
• Need networking through CAPTD

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Extension Education Present status

• Resource transfer not much technology transfer
• Farmers own initiative
• CYMMYT - Wheat
• Canada - Canola
• E. Asia - Mashuri

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Extension Education Present status (contd.)

• PESPs
• Agric-clinic
• Public extension underfunded demoralized

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Extension Education Enhanced Roles

• Moving beyond agriculture Include livelihood
  support systems
• Pluralistic
• Role clarity (Public and Private extension)
• Decentralize
• Flow of innovations
• Scale of islands of excellence

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Extension Education Financing
Traditional (Accountable to financier)
User and or client
Services
Training / Capacity building organization
Accountability
Funds
Source of public finance
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Extension Education Financing
New (Accountable to Client)
User and or client
Services
Funding
Accountability
Training / Capacity building organization
Funding
Source of public finance
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Thank You