Introduction:
Enhancing of farmers income is one of the most important agenda of the central and state governments which can lead to the ambitious plan of doubling farmer’s income by 2022. Increase in total farm output can be one of the strategies but not the only strategy for doubling income. It is essential to focus on a planwhich can ensure a right combination of measures that are relevant for different geographical as well as agro-climatic conditions.
Some of the key strategies are discussed below.
Enhancing crop production through yield increase:
Increase in overall yield or productivity from agricultural or horticultural crops and other related farm enter prizes can be the important single important factor that can increase the income of farmers. Since there is very little scope for area expansion (either through increase in nets own area or through increase in cropping intensity), enhancing the overall productivity is the only way available to enhance production. Bridging yield gaps through had option of recommended good crop production practices, planning profitable crop combinations that can maximize aggregate income, and reducing crop losses through integrated crop management (integrated nutrient/pest/disease/weed management) practices are some of the immediate options that can bring in additional income to the farmers.
Efficient use of water resources:
Water resources are the scarcest resources among the natural resources gifted by the nature. The available water resources is not proportional to the size of cultivable land, dependent population, swelling demands from industry, domestic segment for drinking, sanitation and washing, public uses such as parks and gardens, and hospitality industry etc. As per an estimate by 2050 the global agriculture sector needs to produce 60 percent more, while developing countries need to produce 100 percent more. This target can be met only by improving water productivity and putting in place the right policy mix that supports and ensures efficient use of water resources. Ground water management is one of the important aspects in this regard. There is a need for a paradigm shift in water management in rain fed areas by bringing more dry land under protective irrigation support for bridging dry spell sand for improving agricultural and water productivity through new technological water management options. Anidelay system of irrigation should aimat conjunctiveuse of different sources of water in mutually reinforcing manner while giving due importance to demand moderation and making it compatible with resource endowments of the region. Drip and sprinkler irrigation technology options need to be promoted to manage the demand.
Enhancing productivity from dry lands:
Even after harnessing the fullest possible irrigation potential a large amount of land continues under rainfed conditions. As per an estimate these rainfed or dryland areas are home to 43 percent of our population and receive rainfall between 150 mm and 1000 mm per annum. There is a need to popularize various water management interventions in these drylands. The interventions shall include, adopting an efficient watershed management approach specifying and enforcing clearly defined water rights in watershed communities; reducing vulnerability through rain water harvesting and storage; recharging depleted ground water and aquifers; regulation of ground water extraction; enlisting government support for water saving options; enabling stronger collective action for community development in agriculture and resource management, and enhancing the scientific and technological support to watershed programmes such as land resources inventory(LRI)–hydrology-socioeconomic study based watershed planning as done in Sujala-III program in Karnataka.
Popularizing soil test based nutrient management:
Due to unscientific nutrient management approaches followed by the farmers, the soils are increasingly becoming deficient in micronutrients and the NPK balance has skewed towards nitrogen. The wide spread secondary and micronutrient deficiencies have led to deterioration in soil health leading to low fertilizer response and crop yields in rainfed areas. This degrading soil health trend can be reversed through had option of soil test based application of deficient secondary and micronutrients to harness existing productivity potential on a sustainable basis. The national soil health mission has introduced the issue of soil health cards across the country will be able to address this issue. However programs on education the farmers in this regard are needed for promoting smart
nutrient management practices.
Reducing costs through low external input agriculture and farming systems approach:
The cost of cultivation has been increasing thus reducing the overall profits of the farmers. There is a need to focus on lowering the costs without compromising on the output can lead to the increase the net income. It is possible to do so as there is a general tendency on the part of farmers to apply over dose of fertilizers and pesticides, expecting higher yields. Organic farming, low external input, sustainable agriculture, precision farming, etc. are being promoted with a view to reducing Complementary relations that could exist among farm enterprises are rarely exploited as farmers have been increasingly depending on externally purchased input sand preferring single enterprise rather than a mix of different enterprises. In spite of the advantages of farming systems, their adoption by farmers is not high due to limitation of available production technologies, biophysical or geophysical constraints, labor and input market constraints, financial and credit constraints, social norms, inter-temporal trade-offs, policy constraints, and constraints to knowledge or skills.
Promoting diversification:
Diversification can be a major game changer in enhancing farmer’s income. Diversification can be of three types viz. product (high value enterprises), process (precision farming), and time diversification (delinking from seasonality to prevent price crash with bumper crop). Diversification towards high value crops is required to improve both income and resource use efficiency. Similarly, diversification towards livestock, poultry and non-farm activities is considered ideal, especially for small and marginal farmers who do not possess adequate land to generate enough income for the family. Diversification of agriculture offers food and nutrition security, income growth, diversification of sources of income, poverty alleviation, employment generation, judicious use of land and water resources, sustainable agricultural development, and environmental improvement.
Skill building of farmers:
Since farming in India has been a hereditary occupation of a family, learning how to farm is nearly always limited to traditional practices passed on through generations. The modern agriculture cannot be practiced without proper skilling and professionalization of the farmers. The farmers need to organize resources, collect and leverage information, take crucial decisions and breathe risks which need skilling of farmers. Farming is increasingly transforming in to a skilled job with agricultural markets evolving in the digital space, consumer preferences chemical use. going global, all entrepreneurial functions demanding technical and managerial skills and value chains becoming sophisticated. Present initiatives in farmers’ training such as farmers’ field schools (FFS), Life Long Learning for Farmers (L3F), Training of Local Resource Persons(TLRP) etc, are limited to a few locations in a few states. There is a need for a unified training system, catering to all types of trainings. Besides, there is a need to have distinct modules in school curriculum that teach about our agricultural traditions and practices.
Addressing the constraints of small-marginal farmers:
Due to continued sub division and fragmentation of land has led to the tiny and uneconomical holdings. The small farmers faces several constraints such as Inability to create economies of scale and scope; Low bargaining power due to small marketable surplus; Scarcity of capital; Limited market access; Lack of knowledge and information; Market imperfections, and poor infrastructure and communications. Therefore, aggregation and collectivization of farmers and their resources through farmers companies can be a wonderful solution to the above constraints.
Changing tastes and economic conditions of people:
The changes in recent trends, tastes and preferences of consumers who are creating higher demand for processed, packaged and branded products that meet the food quality standards. Rise in organized retail chains and online markets are selling agricultural products thus are creating a new retail culture. Small and marginal farmers, given their socio-economic profile, can hardly rise to the expectations arising out of such developments. Without effective organization, the small farmers are likely to face several problems with quality aspects and exploitation at the hands of the intermediaries who are controlling value chains. There is a need to organize them effectively into groups to facilitate better incomes is an important concern. FPOs are promoted on a large scale under central and state government support. Such collectivization of farmers into groups is bound to bring the benefits of scale and scope.
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