Challenges Faced by Indian Agriculture | Geography for UPSC 2024 (Pre & Mains) PDF Download

 Page 1


 
MAJOR CHALLENGES FACED BY INDIAN AGRICULTURE 
 If we look at the challenges faced by Indian agriculture, we can broadly group 
them into two categories. One category belongs to the problems that have 
been long standing. Second category of problems is new and has been 
emerging from the prevailing agricultural practices, system, changing 
climate and economy.  
1. Stagnation in Production of Major Crops: Production of some of the major 
staple food crops like rice and wheat has been stagnating for quite some time. 
This is a situation which is worrying our agricultural scientists, planners and 
policy makers. If this trend continues, there would be a huge gap between the 
demand of ever growing population and the production. Nobody wants India to 
go back to a situation that was prevailing in our country prior to Green 
Revolution.  
2. High cost of Farm Inputs: Over the years rates of farm inputs have increased 
manifold. Farm inputs include fertilizer, insecticide, pesticides, HYV seeds, 
farm labour cost etc. Such an increase puts low and medium land holding 
farmers at a disadvantage. 
 3. Soil Exhaustion: On one hand green revolution has played a positive role in 
reducing hunger from India. On the other hand it has also led to negative 
consequences. One of which is Soil exhaustion. Soil exhaustion means loss of 
nutrients in the soil from farming the same crop over and over again. This 
usually happens in the rain forest. 
 4. Depletion of Fresh Ground Water: The second major negative 
consequence of green revolution is depletion of fresh ground water. You would 
remember that areas where green revolution was successful, it was due to the 
use of chemical fertilizers and irrigation. Most of the irrigation in dry areas of 
Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh was carried out by excessive use of 
ground water. Today fresh ground water situation in these states is alarming. In 
the coming few years if this type of farming practice continues, these states are 
going to face water famine. 
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MAJOR CHALLENGES FACED BY INDIAN AGRICULTURE 
 If we look at the challenges faced by Indian agriculture, we can broadly group 
them into two categories. One category belongs to the problems that have 
been long standing. Second category of problems is new and has been 
emerging from the prevailing agricultural practices, system, changing 
climate and economy.  
1. Stagnation in Production of Major Crops: Production of some of the major 
staple food crops like rice and wheat has been stagnating for quite some time. 
This is a situation which is worrying our agricultural scientists, planners and 
policy makers. If this trend continues, there would be a huge gap between the 
demand of ever growing population and the production. Nobody wants India to 
go back to a situation that was prevailing in our country prior to Green 
Revolution.  
2. High cost of Farm Inputs: Over the years rates of farm inputs have increased 
manifold. Farm inputs include fertilizer, insecticide, pesticides, HYV seeds, 
farm labour cost etc. Such an increase puts low and medium land holding 
farmers at a disadvantage. 
 3. Soil Exhaustion: On one hand green revolution has played a positive role in 
reducing hunger from India. On the other hand it has also led to negative 
consequences. One of which is Soil exhaustion. Soil exhaustion means loss of 
nutrients in the soil from farming the same crop over and over again. This 
usually happens in the rain forest. 
 4. Depletion of Fresh Ground Water: The second major negative 
consequence of green revolution is depletion of fresh ground water. You would 
remember that areas where green revolution was successful, it was due to the 
use of chemical fertilizers and irrigation. Most of the irrigation in dry areas of 
Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh was carried out by excessive use of 
ground water. Today fresh ground water situation in these states is alarming. In 
the coming few years if this type of farming practice continues, these states are 
going to face water famine. 
 
 5. Adverse impact of Global Climatic Change: Among various challenges, 
global climatic change is the recent one. It has been predicted that its impact on 
agriculture would be immense. It is predicted that due to climate change, 
temperature would increase from 2°C to 3°C, there would be increase in sea 
level, more intense cyclones, unpredictable rainfall etc These changes would 
adversely affect the production of rice and wheat. Specifically, rise in 
temperature in winter would affect production of wheat in north India. 
Production of rice would be affected in coastal areas of India due to ingress 
of saline water and increase of frequency of cyclones. 
 6. Impact of Globalisation : The most evident effect is the squeeze on farmer’s 
income and the threat to the viability of cultivation in India. This is due to the 
rising input costs and falling output prices. This reflects the combination of 
reduced subsidy and protection to farmers. Trade liberalization exposes these 
farmers to competition from highly subsidized production in the developed 
world. 
7. Providing Food Security: Before the introduction of green revolution in 
India, we were not self sufficient in terms of our food grain production. Due to 
partition of India in 1947 the network of canal irrigation system, cotton belt and 
wheat bowl meant to West Pakistan which is now Pakistan. Similarly the jute 
belt and rice bowl was awarded to East Pakistan, which is now Bangladesh. With 
the introduction of green revolution, production of food grains increased 
substantially and India became self sufficient.. Although India has become self 
sufficient in good it is yet to ensure food security which is dependent upon 
accessibility, affordability as well nutritional value of the food available. One of 
the biggest challenges facing India is Providing Food Security to its population.  
8. Farmers Suicide: The suicides appear concentrated in regions of high 
commercialization of agriculture and very high peasant debt. Cash crop farmers 
seemed far more vulnerable to suicide than those growing food crops. Yet the 
basic underlying causes of the crisis remained untouched. Commercialization of 
the countryside along with massive decline in investment in agriculture was the 
beginning of the decline. Withdrawal of bank credit at a time of soaring input 
prices and the crash in farm incomes compounded the problems. Shifting of 
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MAJOR CHALLENGES FACED BY INDIAN AGRICULTURE 
 If we look at the challenges faced by Indian agriculture, we can broadly group 
them into two categories. One category belongs to the problems that have 
been long standing. Second category of problems is new and has been 
emerging from the prevailing agricultural practices, system, changing 
climate and economy.  
1. Stagnation in Production of Major Crops: Production of some of the major 
staple food crops like rice and wheat has been stagnating for quite some time. 
This is a situation which is worrying our agricultural scientists, planners and 
policy makers. If this trend continues, there would be a huge gap between the 
demand of ever growing population and the production. Nobody wants India to 
go back to a situation that was prevailing in our country prior to Green 
Revolution.  
2. High cost of Farm Inputs: Over the years rates of farm inputs have increased 
manifold. Farm inputs include fertilizer, insecticide, pesticides, HYV seeds, 
farm labour cost etc. Such an increase puts low and medium land holding 
farmers at a disadvantage. 
 3. Soil Exhaustion: On one hand green revolution has played a positive role in 
reducing hunger from India. On the other hand it has also led to negative 
consequences. One of which is Soil exhaustion. Soil exhaustion means loss of 
nutrients in the soil from farming the same crop over and over again. This 
usually happens in the rain forest. 
 4. Depletion of Fresh Ground Water: The second major negative 
consequence of green revolution is depletion of fresh ground water. You would 
remember that areas where green revolution was successful, it was due to the 
use of chemical fertilizers and irrigation. Most of the irrigation in dry areas of 
Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh was carried out by excessive use of 
ground water. Today fresh ground water situation in these states is alarming. In 
the coming few years if this type of farming practice continues, these states are 
going to face water famine. 
 
 5. Adverse impact of Global Climatic Change: Among various challenges, 
global climatic change is the recent one. It has been predicted that its impact on 
agriculture would be immense. It is predicted that due to climate change, 
temperature would increase from 2°C to 3°C, there would be increase in sea 
level, more intense cyclones, unpredictable rainfall etc These changes would 
adversely affect the production of rice and wheat. Specifically, rise in 
temperature in winter would affect production of wheat in north India. 
Production of rice would be affected in coastal areas of India due to ingress 
of saline water and increase of frequency of cyclones. 
 6. Impact of Globalisation : The most evident effect is the squeeze on farmer’s 
income and the threat to the viability of cultivation in India. This is due to the 
rising input costs and falling output prices. This reflects the combination of 
reduced subsidy and protection to farmers. Trade liberalization exposes these 
farmers to competition from highly subsidized production in the developed 
world. 
7. Providing Food Security: Before the introduction of green revolution in 
India, we were not self sufficient in terms of our food grain production. Due to 
partition of India in 1947 the network of canal irrigation system, cotton belt and 
wheat bowl meant to West Pakistan which is now Pakistan. Similarly the jute 
belt and rice bowl was awarded to East Pakistan, which is now Bangladesh. With 
the introduction of green revolution, production of food grains increased 
substantially and India became self sufficient.. Although India has become self 
sufficient in good it is yet to ensure food security which is dependent upon 
accessibility, affordability as well nutritional value of the food available. One of 
the biggest challenges facing India is Providing Food Security to its population.  
8. Farmers Suicide: The suicides appear concentrated in regions of high 
commercialization of agriculture and very high peasant debt. Cash crop farmers 
seemed far more vulnerable to suicide than those growing food crops. Yet the 
basic underlying causes of the crisis remained untouched. Commercialization of 
the countryside along with massive decline in investment in agriculture was the 
beginning of the decline. Withdrawal of bank credit at a time of soaring input 
prices and the crash in farm incomes compounded the problems. Shifting of 
 
millions from food crop to cash crop cultivation had its own risks. Privatization 
of many resources has also compounded the problems.