Governance issues related to extension service delivery
Sustainable farming system should have resource conserving technologies, address climate resilience and should be community supported. Climate change is perhaps the most serious environmental threat to the fight against hunger, malnutrition, disease and poverty, mainly through its impact on agricultural productivity.
Agriculture is a major provider of environmental services and it plays an important role in sequestering carbon, managing watersheds and preserving biodiversity. Agriculture is also a major consumer of natural resource, contributing to underground water depletion, agrochemical pollution, soil exhaustion and global climate change. Agricultural extension personnel have to take a lead role in this respect in promoting sustainable farming system.
Consumers are now more concerned about obtaining safe food.. Food safety involves a much broader range of public health issues related to food production. Food safety concerns begin from on farm production of food commodities. It is the key entry point for the introduction of management practices that allow minimising potential contamination with excessive residues of harmful chemicals in food and water. GAP is one such preventive food safety approach which ensures that food is produced concerning about health and environment. Nutrition and food security must be considered in developing food safety guidelines and standards.
The International Human Rights framework which includes instruments that address the right to food, water and health as well as human rights is to be considered. Food sovereignty is critical because our current food and farming system is thoroughly broken. Food sovereignty is essential to guarantee the human rights of communities to choose when and how their food is produced and what food they consume. This is more relevant in the present context of controversy related to type of food being consumed
Prof. R. M. Prasad
Former Professor, Kerala Agricultural University
General Secretary, Farm Care Foundation, Kerala
Migration in the Indian context mainly occurs under two major situations-
a) impact of climate change on water availability resulting in drying up of wetlands and increased drought situation which force the farmers to migrate to other areas, particularly urban areas in search of employment (climate refugees)
b) Farmers are also forced to migrate when 'land grabbing' by the corporates become increasingly common and when forced eviction is enforced in the pretext of infrastructure development..
People without agricultural land find it difficult to sustain as there are hardly any other economic activity. The exploitation of natural resources further aggravate the situation.
While discussing about the types of migration, seasonal migration and chain migration are more conspicuous and relevant in Kerala, the southern most state in India, which is internationally known for the "Kerala model of development" There are many migrants from North India and North East working as labour force in Kerala. An interesting phenomenon is that while large number of youth from Kerala migrate to Gulf countries for employment (out migration), considerable number of youth from North Indian states migrate to Kerala for livelihoods (in migration), which is an interesting area worth for research
The two possible strategies for addressing migration issues in India could be:
- Encouraging 'reverse migration' - by shifting focus on development of 'smart villages' in the place of 'smart cities'
- Skilling Rural India- developing skilled rural workforce by providing employable skills
Prof. R. M. Prasad
Former Associate Director of Extension, Kerala Agricultural University
Former Senior Fellow, National Institute of Rural Development, Hyderabad
Dr. Muraleedhar Prasad
My suggestions are:
- Issue of Soil Health Cards to all farm holdings. Soil Health Card Scheme implemented in India provides status of soil of the farm holding with respect to 12 parameters based on soil test results and provides advice on the dosage of fertiliser and also the needed soil amendments.
- Integrated Nutrient Management (INM)- judicious use and optimisation of benefits of all possible sources of organic, inorganic and biological components is very much needed. The use of inorganic fertilisers can be reduced if INM is followed. The availability of nutrients in the biological wastes available in the locality should be analysed properly and results made known to the extension officers.
- Soil-water-plant relationship- Timing of application and dosage of application must be based on appropriate water-fertiliser regime. Nutrient uptake includes three mechanisms- mass flow, diffusion and root interception.
- To prevent fertiliser contamination, soil application of fertiliser should be reduced, timing of fertiliser application should coincide with plant need (application based on stages of plant growth) and fertiliser should be mixed with soil to reduce surface run-off of the fertiliser compounds.
- Governance issues related to ensuring availability distribution and use of fertilisers- a) mobile based fertiliser management system can be employed for monitoring using IT based technical platform, b) Monitoring of ensuring subsidy for fertilisers based on direct transfer system, etc.
Prof.R.M.Prasad
Former Associate Director of Extension, KAU
General Secretary, Farm Care Foundation, Thrissur, Kerala