Friday 10 August 2012

Profitability of Marginal Farming - Key to Food Security


Prosperity of peasant society in rural India greatly depends on the land productivity and systems that augment profitability of agriculture. The never-overstepped phase in the development of a country is strengthening agriculture system and subsequent betterment of a farm-dependent workforce.

Developing the agriculture sector in India is characteristically challenging due to the prevalent land distribution pattern. A cursory look at the statistics on landholding pattern will reveal the oddities plaguing the agriculture sector. Over 79 per cent of cultivators belong to the category of marginal and small operators and cultivate less than one third of the cultivable land. Astonishingly, Kerala has the lowest national average size of operational holdings of 0.33 hectare as against the agriculturally prosperous Punjab, which has a healthy average of 3.61 hectare. Nevertheless, Kerala’s agriculture accomplishments are no less creditable.

Considering the fact that marginal farming and fragmented landholdings will continue to prevail, efforts should be made to invent means to maximize income from marginal holdings. When over 70 per cent of population is directly dependent on agriculture and very little skill base, which is industry-suited, is formed in this group the key to development of the country is making agriculture profitable for even a marginal landholding agriculturist.  History testifies that the first stepping-stone to prosperity is accomplishing profitability of agriculture and increasing the asset-base for farm-dependent people. This target in Indian context is formidably huge in view of the sheer number of agriculture-dependent workforce.

Kerala emerges as a strong case in the context of success of farmers with marginal holding. Of course, the state is gifted with generous rains, clement weather and bountifully fertile land. However, credit should not be taken away from farmers who exploited the favourable conditions to the hilt and translated innovating agricultural practices into a tradition. While exploiting the efficiently knit drift and lift irrigation systems, farmers resorted to intensive farming with a stress on mixed and multi cropping, cash crops and highly rewarding spice cultivation. Thus households cultivating as little as an acre managed to raise sufficient incomes from their marginal holding.

Admittedly, as against the case of Kerala, North Indian states grapple with furious weather capriciousness. Notwithstanding this challenge, positive efforts in the right direction can help marginal farmers extricate themselves from poverty. Making smallholdings profitable is a necessity because of three factors. First, there is no immediate possibility of an encompassing land reform to consolidate small holdings into large holdings even while adequately protecting the interests of small farmers; second, majority of rural labour force depends on agriculture as their livelihood and they cannot be shifted to any other sector and finally, agriculture practiced in rural areas is largely unprofitable and would continue to be so unless very heavy investment is made to correct the nagging problems of rural farm sector.

The first step to this objective is increasing availability of water for agriculture. Nearly eighty per cent of India’s farmers practice dry farming and hence are at the mercy of rain gods. Drift irrigation, as a dependable system does not exist in any considerable degree in most parts of India. The option that remains is groundwater dependent irrigation. In this context, there is an urgent need to arouse the sensitivities of rural people towards the issue of water harvesting and recharging of groundwater table. Rural communities should be motivated and encouraged to undertake micro-watershed projects. Though governments patronize watershed related works in rural areas, villagers have not been able to associate themselves emotionally with these initiatives. Anandwan of revered Baba Amte demonstrates how watershed activities of an enthusiastic community can change the face of a region. The present Anandwan – the forest of bliss for lepers - was nothing but a hopeless barren land when Amte reached there. Anandvan presents before us a replicable model of topographic planning and watershed work.

Secondly, money drain of marginal farmers needs to be checked by mobilising agriculture inputs locally. Green revolution had coerced farmers to be dependent on foreign technologies and inputs that they would not mobilize locally for eternity. Though, marginal farmers did not quite benefit from green revolution they continue to adhere to the costly agricultural practices even now. Farmers need to be weaned away from the technology dependence – an offshoot of green revolution. Organic farming emerges as a plausible option as it addresses nearly all needs of poor marginal farmers. The ecologically advantageous on-farm vermi-composting and organic pesticide can reduce farming expenses to a great extent.

Thirdly, farming practices of marginal farmers need structural changes. Agriculture pattern of Kerala yet again reinforces the fact that maximization of agricultural income from marginal and smallholdings is possible only by promoting multi-cropping, mixed cropping and horticulture. The present farming pattern of marginal farmers is rigid and offers no variety. Besides, farmers are generally averse to crop introduction and rotation thanks to ignorance and resource crunch. Horticulture coupled with agro-forestry can give some protection to farmers from the wildly fluctuating fortunes of agriculture.

Fourthly, in view of the fragmented and unorganized agriculture sector, the existing support systems and institutional back up need to be reinvigorated and reoriented to benefit small farmers. Agriculture extension activities need to be strengthened and intensified. Governments should initiate more concrete efforts to developing agro-marketing possibilities, strengthening agriculture cooperatives, expanding rural infrastructure, implementing more effective farmer-friendly credit and subsidy regime and insulating farm sector from the onslaught of globalisation.

The growth of agriculture over the last few decades suggests that agricultural growth per se will not lead to better conditions for the rural workforce. Growth of rural incomes for marginal farmers, in the years to come, would depend on introducing higher value crops, mixed farming and horticulture practices.

By: Saju MK, Caritas India
This work was published earlier in India Currents

No comments:

Post a Comment