India

Support Transformative Policy Pathways for Indian Agriculture towards 2030

Project's full title Support Transformative Policy Pathways for Indian Agriculture towards 2030
Country India
Start date 01/07/2020
End date 31/03/2022
Status Completed
Project Code TCP/IND/3802
Objective / Goal

Strategic Objective 2: Make agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable

Objectives: The TCP aims to develop an alternative in terms of facilitating a paradigm shift and suggest evidence-based policy recommendations for initiating the change to sustainability across agriculture and allied sectors, to complement to the NITI Aayog and MoA&FW’s efforts to design a post-Green Revolution future for the country.

Description: Several government officials and agricultural experts emphasize the need for a transformative policy for Indian agriculture in post-Green Revolution times. They acknowledge some of the problems that come in the way of long term sustainability. The critical need is for a space in which to bring thinkers and doers together to collectively rethink consumption, production and the institutional framework in the country relating to agriculture, so as to reorient the same for increasing farmers’ incomes and sustaining food and farm systems. The key stakeholders include government agencies, subject academia, civil society organisations, farmers and farmer groups, the private sector, international organizations and the media.

Previously, larger questions of productivity gains plateauing from the focus on only two crops, i.e. wheat and rice, and the growth of agriculture sector losing pace were the primary concerns. There was also realisation that crop intensification had led to over-exploitation of land and water resources and degradation of agro ecological systems due to excessive agricultural chemicals, making current production unsustainable. While these problems remain, newer ones have emerged in the post-COVID world; for example, disaster-proofing food and farm systems, reviving the rural economy and greater emphasis on health and nutrition. This makes the National Dialogue all the more relevant.

The National Dialogue expects to see pathways developed for a transformative shift in Indian agriculture with some policy initiatives and clear pathways towards sustainability by the NITI Aayog and central and even some state governments in India after the closure of the TCP.

Donor: FAO

Expected Outputs:

  • A set of thematic papers will be co-developed by FAO with expert authors
  • National Conference on Indian Agriculture 2030 is organized
  • Pathways document is prepared