Re-imaging agriculture through the lens of food processing industry The COVID-19 pandemic has accentuated the criticality of food security and food surplus management in the current policy space. To this end, policy steps in the agriculture sector in recent years have shifted their orientation from sustenance to marketing. However, the sector is still exposed to … Read more
Central coordinating system vital to handle paddy stubble: Study Main Issue India needs a central coordinating mechanism for paddy stubble management and crop diversification with adequate resources, clear assignment of responsibilities between national and sub-national agencies to counter the ill-effects of crop stubble burning during Covid-19 pandemic. This has been recommended by a study conducted by … Read more
Agriculture Economy : New investment needs incentives, not only ease of doing business The Union Acts on agricultural markets (a state domain until now) are aimed to create one nation-one market and provide choice to farmers for selling their produce for better price besides attracting private investment in the agricultural markets. The … Read more
Commercialization of Agriculture Commercialization of agriculture means production of agricultural crops for sale in the market, rather than for family consumption. For marketization of agricultural products thus ‘surplus’ of production over consumption is required. But agriculture at that time was merely of the subsistence type. It had not been a consequence of conscious response … Read more
Apiculture Apiculture is the science of beekeeping. Humans have collected honey from wild bee hives for more than 8,000 years, as shown in Mesolithic rock paintings dating from 6000 B. C. E. By 2500 B. C. E. , Egyptians were keeping bees in artificial hives. Hives exploit the honeybees’ natural tendency to build nests in … Read more
Grading and Standardization of Agricultural Products Standardization and grading are the first steps in the value-chains of an agricultural produce as it travels in a market channel to the consumer. Price of a produce has to be commensurate with quality, the assessment of which depends on a responsive system of grading and standardization. Hence, it … Read more
Water use efficiency in relation to crop production Land and water scarcity are major constraints to the production of food required to meet the quantitative and qualitative shifts of the world’s demand in the mid-twenty-first century. Whereas land and water availability are constrained on a global scale, there are important regional and crop-specific differences that … Read more
Trends in Food production and consumption in India Production trends Agriculture, with its allied sectors, is the largest source of livelihoods in India. 70 percent of its rural households still depend primarily on agriculture for their livelihood, with 82 percent of farmers being small and marginal. In 2017-18, total food grain production was estimated at … Read more
National Agricultural Research System India has built up a fairly advanced agricultural research system. The Indian NARS is one of the largest systems in the world. The effective functioning of this system, in close association with education and extension systems, has greatly contributed to the rapid growth of agriculture after independence. After independence, the research … Read more
? Agricultural Credit Policy Rural indebtedness is an age-old problem in India. In the nineteenth century, commercial banking was non-existent in rural areas, and farmers were completely in the hands of usurious moneylenders. Starting from the days of British rule, the central government has been striving to expand institutional lending to the rural agricultural … Read more
? Special Promotional Programme for Horticulture Development Definition of Horticulture: Horticulture may be broadly defined as the Science and art of growing fruits, vegetables and flowers and crops like spices condiments and other plantation crops. It is a science of cultivation of Garden plants. The word Horticulture in derived from the Latin word Hortus … Read more
? Agro-ecology and its relevance to man The term agroecology can be used in multiple ways, as a science, as a movement and as a practice. Broadly stated, it is the study of the role of agriculture in the world. Agroecology provides an interdisciplinary framework with which to study the activity of agriculture. In … Read more
? Food Security Himachal is one of the most dynamic hill states of India with significantly high indicators of human development. Its natural resources and physiography, separate administrative identity, and notable accomplishments in literacy hold the promise of great progress. Congress government in Himachal Pradesh had implemented the ambitious food security programme of UPA … Read more
? ADMINISTERED PRICES INCLUDING MSP AND PROCUREMENT PRICES Historical context The emergence of agricultural Price Policy in India was in the backdrop of food scarcity and price fluctuations provoked by drought, floods and international prices for exports and imports. This policy in general was directed towards ensuring reasonable food prices for consumers by providing … Read more
? Alternative policy initiatives in agricultural marketing More than three-fifths of India’s population draws their livelihood from agriculture that adds just one-fifth to its GDP. There should be obvious serious concerns about efficient functioning of this sector both in terms of its output / productivity and its marketing. While output and productivity are supply … Read more
? Post harvest technology and value addition in Food Processing While increased productivity is an essential component of a vibrant agricultural sector, improved post-harvest handling and processing is essential to ensure high-quality products reach the markets. Too often, even when the yields are high, producers lose income due to poor post-harvest practices. Effective post-harvest … Read more
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? Common classification of animals – domestic and wild animals The pets in our households are all descendants of wild animals, many of which still run free today. But dogs, cats, and rodents are all domesticated to varying degrees, with a wide range of consequences for their behavior and genetics. To understand the nitty … Read more
? Recent trends in organic farming and farm mechanization organic farming Organic farming also known as ecological agriculture8 or biodynamic agriculture,9 works in harmony with nature i.e. the agricultural practices followed in organic agriculture do not cause any harm to the environment. Due to eco-friendly nature of the organic farming it is considered as … Read more
? Changes in cropping pattern Cropping pattern means the proportion of area under various crops at a point of time or yearly sequence and spatial arrangement of crops and Changes in cropping pattern Cropping pattern means the proportion of area under various crops at a point of time or yearly sequence and spatial … Read more
? Fertilizers All plants need certain mineral nutrients to survive. These minerals occur naturally in the soil and are taken up from the soil by the roots of the plants. Most soils usually have enough of these minerals to keep plants healthy. However, some nutrients are gradually used up by the plants, or are … Read more
? Control of Pests and crop Disease Agriculture is the single largest sector of India that provides the principal means of livelihood for over 58.4% of country’s population. It contributes approximately one-fifth of the total gross domestic product (GDP). Agriculture accounts for about 10% of the total export earnings and provides raw material to … Read more
? Techniques of irrigation and soil conservations and soil health cards Techniques of irrigation Surface Irrigation In this method water flows and spreads over the surface of the land. Varied quantities of water are allowed on the fields at different times. Hence, flow of water under surface irrigation comes under unsteady flow. As a … Read more
? Piggery Pig farming is the raising and breeding of domestic pigs as livestock, and is a branch of animal husbandry. Pigs are farmed principally for food (e.g. pork, bacon, gammon) or sometimes skinned. Breeds of pigs The indigenous pig has been the basis used for pig production for a long period of time. … Read more
? Agro Food Processing: Forming village clusters and establishing Food Storage, Food Processing Industry is of enormous significance for India’s development because of the vital linkages and synergies that it promotes between the two pillars of the economy, namely Industry and Agriculture. India is world’s second largest producer of food and has the potential … Read more
? Food bio technology Biotechnology is defined in accordance with the Convention on Biological Diversity, i.e. “any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use” Biotechnology as applied to food processing in most developing countries makes use of microbial inoculants to … Read more
? Agriculture in India plays a pivotal role in providing livelihood, ensuring food security, reducing poverty and sustaining growth. Overview of agriculture sector in India Agriculture & GVA: India is witnessing a general decline in share of agriculture in Gross Value Added (GVA). However, growth rate of agriculture & allied sectors have been fluctuating … Read more
? ORIGIN The Department of Agriculture has been created mainly to provide Agricultural Extension services to farmers and to transfer the latest technical knowledge to the farming community, introduction of high yielding varieties, laying demonstrations, imparting training to farmers to improve skills & knowledge to boost up the agricultural Production and productivity. The other … Read more
? Agricultural Strategy and Agricultural Policy Main Issues In national priority setting, the following recurring and emerging issues for sustainable agricultural development and poverty alleviation must be considered: Population pressure and demographic transition; Resource base degradation and water scarcity; Investment in agriculture, structural adjustment and impact on the poor; Globalization and implication on the … Read more
? Concept of organic farming, seed certification Organic farming is an alternative agricultural system which originated early in the 20th century in reaction to rapidly changing farming practices. Organic farming continues to be developed by various organic agriculture organizations today. It relies on fertilizers of organic origin such as compost manure, green manure, and … Read more
? Food Processing, and Food Packaging & Marketing v Food Processing Industry (FPI) in India is a sunrise sector that has gained prominence in the recent years. Easy availability of raw materials, changing lifestyles and favourable fiscal policies has given a considerable push to the industry’s growth. v FPI serves as a vital link … Read more
? Different types of irrigation and irrigation systems There are two main ways that farmers and ranchers use agricultural water to cultivate crops: Rain fed farming irrigation Rain-fed farming Irrigation Rain-fed farming is the natural application of water to the soil through direct rainfall. Relying on rainfall is less likely to result in contamination … Read more
? Storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce Storage The agricultural sector in India accounts for about 14% of GDP and 10% of export earnings. India’s arable land area of 159.7 million hectares (394.6 million acres) is the second largest in the world, after the USA. Its gross irrigated crop area of 82.6 million … Read more
? e-technology in the aid of farmers and Technology Missions in Agriculture It is apparent that the tasks of meeting the consumption needs of the projected population are going to be more difficult given the higher productivity base than in 1960s. There is also a growing realization that previous strategies of generating and promoting … Read more
? Climatic elements as factors of crop growth The climatic factors are abiotic or non-living components of the environmental factors (outside of genetic factors) that affect plant growth and development. They are elements of climate. There are other abiotic environmental factors, that is, topography and soil, which are treated in a separate page. Under … Read more
? Agriculture price policy Agricultural price policy in India was introduced since independence. But the agricultural price policy formulated in India has varied widely for different years and also for different crops. This policy put much emphasis on the prices of foodgrains like wheat, rice and coarse cereals such as jowar, bajra, maize etc. … Read more
? Food laws and regulations Until recently, effectiveness of food control in the Indian domestic market was found to be severely undermined by the existence of multiple jurisdictions, and weaknesses in surveillance, monitoring and enforcement. Several of these food laws were enacted under different ministries in India that had their own rules and orders, … Read more
? Food safety and Microbial standards, Food quality standards Food safety-Indicators of food microbial Quality and safety-Coliforms, Enterococci, Bifidobacteria, Coliphages/Enteroviruses, predictive Microbiology/ Microbial modeling Microbial Standards of Processed and preserved Foods The Center for disease control (CDC) investigates each documented outbreak of food borne disease and attempts to determine not only the specific microorganisms … Read more
? Cost benefit and investment analysis of agricultural enterprises Water Resource Development A capital intensive project. To reap the benefit of irrigation the farmer should not ignore the supporting services as extension, marketing, credit and transportation both for handling crop produced and supply of inputs needed. The economic analysis must take full account of … Read more
? Inputs of agriculture Seed Seed is technically defined as ripened ovule containing embryo. Another definition says that the seed is a living embryo which is vital and basic input for attaining sustained growth in agricultural production in different agro-climatic conditions. The embryo in the seed remains almost suspended for sometimes and then revives … Read more
? Agroecology Agroecology shares much in common with other approaches to sustainable farming. Agroecology is farming that “centers on food production that makes the best use of nature’s goods and services while not damaging these resources.” Farming thrives when it works with local ecosystems, for example, improving soil and plant quality through available biomass … Read more
? ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRY Sustained efforts – Stabilized Primary sector Technology in agriculture – bringing together global leaders in cutting edge technologies to aid small and marginal farmers Drought – a thing of the past – Sustained growth in Agriculture and Allied sectors – Growth despite deficit rainfall Soil Health … Read more
? Agro-climatic zones of india An “Agro-climatic zone” is a land unit in terms of major climates, suitable for a certain range of crops and cultivars. With the 329 million hectares of the geographical area the country presents a large number of complex agro-climatic situations. India is divided into 15 agro-climatic zones.The 15 agro-climatic … Read more
? Conventional and Non Conventional Sources of Energy Main Sources of Energy: The sources of energy are of following types: 1. Conventional Sources of Energy: These sources of energy are also called non renewable sources. These sources of energy are in limited quantity except hydro-electric power. (a) Coal and … Read more
? Extension Activities: The government is taking up extension activities in a big way and utilizing the campaign modes to educate farmers in all possible forms. Polam Pilusthondi: The main objective of the scheme is to strengthen the extension reach at farmers’ doorstep for increasing productivity, profi tability, sustainability and explore the possibilities of … Read more
? Farming systems and sustainability Nature is dynamic. It causes inheritable changes in all living organisms. For thousands of years, farmer around the world have been selecting and conserving varieties of different crop plants that they cultivated. This process has generated a rich wealth of varieties in each crop plant, seen to be most … Read more
? Crop Science in India In India around 70% of the population earns its livelihood from agriculture. It fulfills the basic need of human beings and animals. It is an important source of raw material for many agro based industries. India’s geographical condition is unique for agriculture because it provides many favorable conditions. There … Read more
? Swaminathan commission for Agriculture Development The National Commission on Farmers (NCF) was constituted on November 18, 2004 under the chairmanship of Professor M.S. Swaminathan. The Terms of Reference reflected the priorities listed in the Common Minimum Programme. The NCF submitted four reports in December 2004, August 2005, December 2005 and April 2006 respectively. … Read more
? Distribution of Mulberry and Non-mulberry Sericulture (area, production and productivity across states), Cocoon Production Sericulture which has its origin in China is an age old industry in India. Silk route is one of the ancient internationally recognized route for global business for not only silk but also other important commodities. History reveals that … Read more
