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TECHNOLOGY, GM, Envrionment
11 March 2015 18:08
• Warehouse Receipt in DEMAT form started
• Other imp benefit - can be used as a Collateral
GM Crops
What is it ?
• A GM or transgenic crop is a plant that has a novel combination of genetic materials
obtained through the use of biotechnology
• Currently used worldwide only for Soya, Maize, Cotton and Canola
• Bt
○ Bacillus thuringiensis
○ A soli bacteria, whose genes are inserted into these crops
Current
• GEAC approves GM Mustard
○ DMH-11 - or DHARA mustard
○ 20-30% more productivity , Indigenous
○ Issues
• Leads it to withstand more herbicides - May spur their use
• GEAC ( Genetic Engineering Approval Committee ) approved introduction of GM varieties in
crops like rice, mustard, cotton , brinjal
• The Farmers association like the BKU are opposing the decision
• Ministry of Agriculture for capping of Bt Cotton royalty prices to Monasanto which is leading
to war of words
Cons ( allegedly )
• Economic
○ Apprehensions about terminator seeds , that is the crops will be sterile & the farmers
will be forced to buy new seeds every time fro the profit seeking multinational
companies, creating Monopoly
• Monasanto currently has the monopoly
• 30% royalty
• Govt directed to reduce to 10%
• Plans to develop own GM
• The firm is considering moving out
○ High cost of GM seeds
○ Inequality
• Environment
○ Question marks over impact to environment and biodiversity still linger
• GM technology is said to be Irreversible and Uncontrollable
○ Exotic species in Biodervsity Hotspots , leads to eradication of local specie
○ RESISTANCE
○ impact on soil, soil organisms, pollinators has not been assessed
• Transparency
○ Data is provided by the project proponent and GEAC is dependent on it
• Susceptible to manipulation - PSC
○ Data not made public
• CIC vs GEAC
○ PSC - District Level committees required to implement the directives on GM is non
existent o the ground
• Health
○ There are concerns & apprehensions over health impact
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○ Possibility of super resistant weeds
○ Some GM have genes which are resistant to antibiotic. Could be transferred to
bacteria from humans creating super bugs
• Legal
○ SC restraint in food crops
• Internatiobal -
○ Not allowed in Europe
Pro
• Agricultural
1. Massive boost to production, Bt cotton increased the cotton output by nearly 4 times
in a decade - Food Security
2. Reduce chemical pesticide use by 30%
3. Resistance to
i. Pests, Droughts, Diseases, Salinity
4. All year availability
5. Can Mature Early creating Short Cycled Crops
6. Can be used even in Space
7. Future R&D further may lead to improvement in other dimensions like lessser water
use
8. More exports
○ 2nd Green Revolution
• Can help develop the Biotechnology industry
○ create employment
○ Food Processing - Most employment per investment
• GE trees
○ Grow faster with better quality of wood
○ Hence, lesser impact of deforestation while leading to economic growth
○ Has been approved by UN that plantations of GE crops are carbon sink
• GE mustard
○ Indian heavy reliance on imports of edible oil - 10 billion dollar
○ Even that is manufactured by GE crops
• GM mosquitos
○ to tackle dengue, chikangunya
• Apprehensions misguided
○ Inconclusive impact on health
○ GE food items are being consumed for the last 15 years without any adverse impact on
humans
○ Many countries across the world are using the technology , US, China, Brazil ...
○ Unhappy customers (farmers) can easily part with it.
○ Most of our daily crops are Genetically Modified in the sense that selective breeding has
modified them
○ Even the green revolution was possible by an international cooperation with Manila rice
institute, CIMMYT of Mexico
○ Completely Home grown technologies are extremely difficult and time taking
○ Case study - 100 nobel laureates signed letter voicing for safety of GM
Govt move to cap royalty payment by for genetic seeds
○ By invoking essential commodities act
○ Reason - Accelerated developement of resistance of Pink Bollworm to GM
○ Con
○ Disincentivises R&D
• Monasanto research budget is 2 times total budget of ICAR
• New variety of Bt cotton will be needed soon to mainain vitality
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○ Eco Survey 15-16, Gulati have called against price control
○ Legal
• ECA should not be invoked
• Instead PVFR Act (Protection of Plant varieties and Farmer Rights Act) should have
been used which ha been explicitly used. Also , has provision of appeals
○ Inconsistent with National IPR policy, 2016 which cxalls for predictanility in legislation
Agricultural Extension Services
• Application of science and tech in agriculture through educating the farmers
• Process of transfer of tech from labs to farms
• Components
○ Technical Advice
○ Availability of good quality seeds
○ Popularisation of modern technology - mechanisation
○ Call centre , app, weather support , etc
• Instruments
○ MANAGE, ICAR
○ Agri Clinic
○ Kisan Call centers
○ National Mission on Agriculture Extension and Technology - Indirectly in Syllabus
○ Apps - E- Kisan, DD Kisan , Farmers Portal
○ ITC e-Choupal
Other Govt initiatives for tech
○ Drones to collect crop damage data
• To make data collection fast and foolproof
• Then verified using traditional measures
○ M- Kisan
○ E-Krishi Samvad
• Online interface of Farmers with other stakeholders
○ ISRO to study fodder quality
○ Kisan Suvidha App
• to collect hailstorm data
• Farmers can click photos of their damaged crops due to hailstorm
• Will then be linked with the Bhuvan (ISRO developed google earth)
• App To check market price in the market in 50km radius
• App to give information about existing insurance schemes
○ FASAL -
• Acreage and production estimates for the principal crops such as wheat, rice, sorghum,
cotton, mustard, and groundnut using Forecasting Agriculture Output using SPACE
AGROMETEOROLOGY and LAND BASED OBSERVATIONS (FASAL).
○ NISAR
• Indo US joint satellie
• Will provide info on soil moisture, agriculture, forest biomass
• Will be operationalised in 2021-22
○ Space program also helps in
○ Disaster management protection
○ Remote sensing - can supplement soil health card scheme
○ Data collection of damage
○ Measuring ground water
○ Exact Measuring of produce/plantation to design better MSP policies
• Over exploitation of water
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• Agriculture uses 70% of freshwater use in India
• NASA study - water table dropping 0.3 m a year
• Most severe in Punjab with around 0.9m drop a year
○ As a result, Punjab's agri growth has become half of national average - 1.5% between
2005 and 2015
• India uses 2-4 times of more water to produce a unit of crops than China/ Brazil
• Economic Survey -
• India EXPORTING Water
• Due to high exports of sugrarcane, rice, etc
• We were a net importer till 1980s
• Water export = 1% of freshwater in India
• Need for FERTIGATION through Drip and Trip, MSP rationalisation, introduction of oilseeds
like Canola which consume minimal water
• Traditional - alhar Pyne and Project Ja Sanchay
• Need to provide "Infrastructure Lennding" status to new iriigation like Drip and Trip
• Drip and Trip found to raise productivity by 40% for wheat
• Also less water, less fertiliser, less electricity
• Total direct and in direct water subsidy estimated at 0.6% of GDP
• Case study - Indonesia GM sugarcane significantly less water
• Over use of pesticides prevent percolation of water
• SEE Oct 17 - 48
• Also enter food chain
• Cancer
• At the same time, pesticide use (kg per ha) is 15 times less in Inda than US
• But wrong USAGE
• NPK right proprtion distorted due to subsidies on Urea
CLIMATE CHANGE and AGRI - 2 WAY RELATION
○ Greenhouse emmissions from Agriculture
○ 15% of all emissions
○ Esp in Flood Irrigation
○ Main reason for deforestation
○ As land is cleared for farming
○ 70 % of freshwater use
○ Eutrophication
○ DDT - Biological Magnification
○ Pollution
○ Air - Crop Stubble Burning
○ Water - Eutrophication
• Effect of climate change - the other side -
○ Surface warming leads to reduced natural nitrogen availability
• Would require more fertilisers
○ Reduction in land area as water level rises
○ Submergence of coastal area - Salinity of Soil
○ Research shows Temperature rise would lead to 20% and 15% drop in wheat and rice
yield respectively in Tropical countries
○ Uncertain weather
○ More Weeds
○ Inequality
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• Temperate region - production rises - mostly rich countries
• Because of C3 photosynthesis mechanism
• Which increases productivity with more CO2
• Tropical - productivity declines - mostly poor countries
• Based on C4
• Which is more efficient but does not respond to more Co2
• Impact on India - more towards negative side
• By expansion of Wetlands ( this is a con too)
Need for CLIMATE SMART AGRICULTURE
○ Mitigation
○ SRI
○ Organic Farming
○ Micro Irrigation
○ Fertigation
○ 0 tillage farming ,
○ Focus on Livestock
• Checking Diet and Waste Disposal
• Bio Energy
○ Solar Panels over Canals
○ Adaptation
○ Watershed Management -
• Traditional Techniques like Alhar, Khadin
• Har Khet ko Pani
• Micro Irrigation
• Sub Irrigation
• IOT - Sensors - Water regulation
○ Dryland Farming
○ GM
○ Less water Intensive Crops - No SUGARCANE
○ Pusa Gel
○ All points of Drought
○ Wetland rejuvenation
○ Afforestation
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• Write Social Forestry
○ Schemes
• Govt initiated National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)
• Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana
• Solar panels cover Gujarat canal
• NICRA
• National mission for climate resilience agriculture
SRI - System of Rice 🍚 Intensification - Also called Root Intensification
Began in Madagascar in 1960s
Introduced in India first in Tamil Nadu in 2000
Practise
○ Young single seedlings transplanted
○ Spaced in a grid like pattern
○ Soil is most , but not flooded - Aerobic conditions
○ Soil aeration is ensured by regular weeding
Benefits
○ High yields - Records claimed in Nalanda, using the technique
○ Lower costs
• Less seeds needed
○ Less water used
• Water productivity upto 90%
○ Improvement in soil health
○ Organic ferilisers used
○ Less pests
Limitations
○ Only suited to few types of rice
○ Labour intensive - MNREGA could provide labour
○ Knowhow limited
○ Algal bloom
○ Regular weeding required
Organic farming
• What ?
○ Farming technique that relies on techniques like Crop Rotation, Green Manure, Compost
and Biological Pest Control to maintain Soil Productivity
○ It limits or strictly includes the use of Chemical Fertilisers, Pesticides, GM crops, etc
• Benefits
○ Soil health - productivity
○ Energy use reduction
○ Chemical fertilisers - heavy metals like Pb, Cd, reduce groundwater recharge capacity
○ Food chain lesser Biological Magnification
• Challenges
○ More expensive
○ Loss of convenience
○ Food safety concerns - Pests can still exist
• Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana
○ To promote organic farming
• Organic fertilisers, pesticides a component
• Also focus on holistic production management
• Important pillar is principal of fairness - justice and equity
○ Cluster based model
• Cluster of 50 farmers
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• Having 50 or more acre of land
• Each farmer will be provided with 20k rupees
• Plans to make 10k such clusters in 3 years
○ Certification of organic produce
• Sikkim - 1st organic state
• International market
○ Small at 1%
○ But growung @ 20 % a year
HORTICULTURE
• Silent revolution
○ Now horticulture production more than food grains ( 250 million tons )
○ 33% of agri GDP
○ Growth rate of 6-7% against 3% in agri
○ Even better because, 90% of horticulture by small landholders as it requires more labor
○ Nutritition
○ Short Cycled
• Issues
○ Has high post- harvest loss though
○ Requires Greater Irrigation
○ Perish Fast
○ Highly labour intensive
• Schemes
○ Operation Green
○ MIDH
○ National Horticulture Mission
○ MEIS under FTP also focusses
Sub-irrigation: Sub-irrigation also sometimes called seepage irrigation has been used for
many years in field crops in areas with high water tables. It is a method of artificially raising
the water table to allow the soil to be moistened from below the plants' root zone. Often
those systems are located on permanent grasslands in lowlands or river valleys and combined
with drainage infrastructure. A system of pumping stations, canals, weirs and gates allows it
to increase or decrease the water level in a network of ditches and thereby control the water
table. Sub-irrigation is also used in commercial greenhouse production, usually for potte
Nano tech
• Efficient use of water
• Nano sensors
• Nano particles as insecticides, pesticides for targeted delivery
HYDROPONICS
• Growing in queous medium without soil
• 2 types - Active and Passive - In active motor is used to activerly deliver nutrients to the soil
• Benefit
○ Land Use, Urban Areas- as STORIES , Can withstand Climate change, Controlled medium,
Soil Leaching, Eutrophication, Soil Erosion
• Con
○ Costly, Skill, Maintenance
Farm Mechanization
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Trends & Composition
1. Farm mechanization level in India is between 30 - 40% in various agriculture activities.
Empirical studies show states with greater availability of farm power have higher
productivity.
2. Reasons for rise
1. Greater degree of farm mechanization is also incentivized by MGNREGS.
2. Rising Farm Wage
3. Scheme
• SMAM
• Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation
• Under National Mission on Agriculture Extension and Technology
• RKVY
• Machines
○ Tractors, Combines, Threshers, Power Tillers,
• Challenges
○ Capital Intensive
○ Small Holdings
○ farm mechanization has developed a stronger bias towards larger land holdings (NSSO
2005)
○ Employment
○ Higher risk due to ‘uncertain demand’ and ‘immature market’ has barred seasoned
business entities from entering this segment.
• Way Out
○ Cooperative Farming
○ Custom Hiring
• MP done very well - Custom Hiring Centers were set
○ Credit
Toxic chemicals in edible items
• Farmers using pesticides indiscriminately
○ Quality, not quantity wise
○ Recommended to keep some time gap between spraying and harvestin But, not done
○ Issue
• Bio Magnification
• Cancer
• Productivity decreasing
• Use of calcium carbide to artificially ripen
• Other chemicals used to make the fruits, vegetables look more aesthetic
• DDT not banned in India
○ India is the only producer of DDT currently
• Measures required
○ Educate farmers
○ Restrict license to the traders who can sell pesticides
○ Stringent checks
No-till or zero tillage agriculture is part of the practice of conservation agriculture.
It is a way of growing annual crops (from year to year) without disturbing the soil unlike
traditional forms of agriculture that use tillage. Tillage is the use of ploughs and other
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implements to prepare the soil for planting. Tilling the soil removes weeds and shapes the
soil into rows for crop plants.
However, there are some undesirable effects of tillage. These are listed below:
• Soil compaction
• Disruption of soil microbes
• Loss of organic matter
• Soil erosion where the topsoil is washed or blown away
• Increased evaporation of water
These are negated when a no-till farming is used.
No-till has advantages as listed below:
• Reduced labour costs
• Reduced fuels costs
• Reduced machinery costs
• Reduced irrigation
• Increased yields due to higher water infiltration and storage capacity
• Less erosion
• Improvement in soil quality
• No tillage pan means roots can grow deeper
• Smaller, lighter tractors can be used which reduced compaction
There are some disadvantages with no-till farming though.
• If no-till is done incorrectly, crop yields will be reduced
• Increased use of herbicide needed to kill the weeds that ploughing would have removed
• Remaining crop residue can increase disease lying in the field
• Gullies that form increase each year without ploughing
• Specialist equipment and knowledge is needed for no-till
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