Dr.Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola

Innovations in Rural Development Management

Date : 22-05-2009

I am delighted to be with the Students and Faculty Members of Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola. My greetings to all of you. Friends, you have been serving the cause of agriculture through education, training and research for nearly four decades in the Vidarbha region. While you are designing the website, I would suggest that you add a separate section for periodic interactions with farmers, so that you can build some case studies for education and research for syllabus enrichment. Important challenges for the country for agriculture, rural development, increasing earning capacity and above all, how to make the 600,000 villages of our country where 70% of our people live prosperous. Let us study, how to solve the complex problem of farming and farmers in the Vidarbha region. Hence, I would like to talk on the topic “Innovation in Rural Development Management”.

First Green Revolution:
As you are aware, the First Green Revolution launched by great visionaries Shri C. Subramaniam and Dr. M.S. Swaminathan in partnership with agricultural scientists and farmers liberated India from the situation of what was called “ship to mouth existence.” Through an effort of historical magnitude, India attained near self-sufficiency in food. As part of this first green revolution, the country has been able to produce over 200 million tonnes of food grains per year on an average. But there are challenges ahead.

Second green revolution:
India has to now embark upon the Second Green Revolution which will enable it to further increase its productivity in the agricultural sector. By 2020 India would require to produce over 340 million tonnes in view of population growth and increased purchasing power. The increase in the production would have to surmount many impeding factors. The requirement of land for the increasing population as well as for greater afforestation and environmental preservation activities would force a situation whereby the present 170 million hectares of arable land would not be fully available. It might shrink to 100 million hectares by 2020. In addition, there will be shortage of water due to competing demands and reduction in the agricultural work force. Our agricultural scientists and technologists have to work for enhancing the average productivity of food-grain per hectare from 1.3 tonnes to better than 3.4 tonnes of the available land for cultivation with less need of water. The type of technologies needed would be in the areas of development of seeds that would ensure high yield varieties even under constraints of water and land.
The second green revolution is indeed a knowledge graduation from characterization of soil to the matching of the seed with the composition of the suitable fertilizer, water management through sprinkler and drip irrigation system evolving pre-harvesting techniques for such conditions. The domain of a farmer’s work would enlarge from grain production to food processing and marketing. While doing so, utmost care would have to be taken for various environmental and people related aspects leading to sustainable development. I would like to discuss about the challenges faced by the Indian agriculture.

Challenges Facing Indian Agriculture :
India’s agricultural sector employs about 50% of the workforce, yet accounts for only about 17% of total GDP. Growth in agriculture has stagnated relative to other sectors: last year the agricultural sector grew at a rate of 2.7%, relative to 11% growth in both the service and industry sector. Agricultural incomes are lower and growing slower than incomes in other sectors. The causes for such a situation are:

Increase farmer’s access to markets: Lack of good extension services to farmers is a major factor inhibiting growth. In addition to the lack of the infrastructure in many rural areas, the inability of farmers to directly access markets has sustained the presence of a chain of middlemen through whom most agricultural commodities are circulated before reaching the consumers. This is where Agriculture Universities can play an important role.

Improve agricultural productivity: In spite of the gains of the Green Revolution, Indian agriculture lags behind in terms of technology take-up and production efficiency. Lack of access to credit, poor education and lack of awareness of the benefits of new technology are the major causes of non application of technology. In addition, poor irrigation and infrastructure is also a cause for low productivity. 10% of the agricultural produce is wasted due to lack of storage and timely transport. We have to find methods through which the farmers can adopt better production and storage technology.

Improve public education: As the application of technology will increase in agriculture and farming, human requirements per unit area will decrease. The excess manpower can be deployed in knowledge based task. Hence, the public education system should equip the rural children with the skills necessary to enter the IT, ITES and manufacturing sector employment market in the rural areas itself.

Promote non-farm entrepreneurship among farmers: Although India’s certain rural population need skill based education, many of them are capable of operating small businesses that have higher returns than traditional agriculture. However, their ability to start such business is often hampered by lack of access to credit, capital and knowledge.

Soil upgradation
Over a period of time by continuous usage of fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides, there is deterioration in the quality of soil particularly reduction of carbon content and increase of salinity. Rejuvenation of soil characteristics is an important area for the specialists to tackle, with specific emphasis on recovery of its nutritional value. More thrust need to be given on adopting methods such as multi-cropping, rotation of crops and organic farming. Farmers in Haldwani district of Uttarakhand and Thodupuzha in Kerala has already exemplified adoption of unique organic farming techniques for increased and sustainable productivity

Dry land agriculture
Integrated nutrient management continues to be a focal issue in dry lands as the fertilizer use is not likely to pick up significantly unless water supply is assured. One of the reasons ascribed to low response of bio-fertilizers in dry lands is their low status of soil organic matter. Soil fertility in dry lands can be sustained only through maintenance of organic matter and achieving better fertilizer-use efficiency through integration of moisture-conservation practices along with soil-fertility management. Strategies for on-farm generation of organic fertilizers need to be evolved by the agricultural scientists.

Quality of Seeds
Some of our agricultural universities and institutions have indeed core competence in quality seed development. They are fully equipped to further improve the quality of the seeds for enabling farming in areas where the soil has salinity and the environmental temperature gradient is high. This should be achieved through production of salinity tolerant and temperature tolerant seeds. In addition, seeds also have to be resistant to the stress induced by the residual effect of the pesticides and insecticides. Universities and research organizations have to lay more emphasis on developing and leading to production of the seeds including genetically modified seeds which require less water for supply to the farmers for achieving increased productivity even in critical environmental conditions. Also, future seeds design and development have to enrich the farmer and the village economy. Agricultural extension workers in partnership with district authorities have to ensure that certified quality seeds alone reach the farmers like fertilizer, so that they are not subjected to unexpected reduced output and related losses

Water management
Geography is very closely linked to quality of life in our vast country. Wherever there are people enduring economic hardships there is also problem of the availability of water. It costs energy and money to bring water for specialized agriculture to such dry areas. We need to develop proper agricultural technologies and water conservation methodologies that can help enhance agriculture productivity and lift the people above the poverty line. Solutions may be just beyond agriculture alone spanning to animal husbandry, poultry, agro processing and other related activities.
Our agriculture is still dependent on timely arrival and intensity of monsoon. It is high time that we have an overall water management plan for conservation of water, preparation of water shed schemes, rainwater harvesting and recharging of ground water. These measures will help prevent loss of a crop by using the harvested water for nursery development and delaying transplantation in case of late arrival of monsoon. We need a system to popularize the water management techniques in distant parts of the State. This is a very important area requiring attention in Vidarbha region where the farmers are largely dependent on monsoon for agriculture.

Agro-processing and waste management
The changing life-styles of the modern generation are giving rise to demand for processed food. For example, special type of corn is required for making corn flakes and unique potato crop for making wafers. The agro-processing industry has to take into account the retention of the nutritional value and safeguarding against possible side effects of additives and preservatives. In addition the agriculture and agro-processing industry in India have to master many new standards and perceptions for cleanliness, generally described as phyto-sanitary requirements.
Now let me give two examples for soil upgradation, agricultural productivity increase, dry and waste agriculture for improving the rural economy

Innovative Jatropha farming
During September 2008, I visited a village Courtwa Rahimabad in Allahabad district where Dr. DN Tiwari, former Member of Planning Commission and his team and farmers have done excellent work in Jatropha cultivation, oil extraction and esterification. Under his leadership a team has worked and converted 735 hectares of waste land into Jatropha producing land leading to earning of rupees fifty thousand per hectare. Today the Jatropha plantation has been extended to 30,000 hectares. Also, the village has realized energy independence through the use of bio-fuel. The villagers do not use kerosene for cooking or petrol-diesel for running their generators and jeeps. Jatropha cultivation has also been used as a heat shield for banana plantation during summer. In addition, the soil which was alkaline has now become neutral due to Jatropha plantation. Thus, we can see that innovative use of Jatropha has resulted in social, economic and environmental upgradation of large number of farmers in Allahabad district. I understand that the seed yield from Jatropha in Vidarbha region requires improvement. Faculty members could invite Dr. Tewari and his team for consultation.

Converting agricultural waste into wealth
Management of agricultural waste is another important area which can turn out to be a source for revenue generation. Farmers can realize better value from the agricultural residue by paying special attention to its usage into organic farming and making value added products out of it before disposal. Agricultural waste should be put to use by developing appropriate and cost-effective technologies such as generation of biogas, production of vermi-compost and paper for example.
So far I have presented certain dynamics of the agricultural community. You will agree with me that the development of six hundred thousand villages implies development of agricultural community namely the farmers by development of villages. This can be done through creation of rural complexes called PURA (Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas) which envisages provision of physical, electronic and knowledge connectivity leading to economic connectivity.
I would like to share with you an operational PURA located at Vallam, Thanjvur district (Tamilnadu) as an illustration.

Periyar PURA (Tamilnadu)
Periyar PURA complex pioneered by Periyar Maniammai University, Vallam, Tanjore is functioning near Vallam having a cluster of over 65 villages in Tamilnadu which involves a population of 1 lakh. This PURA complex has all the three connectivities - physical, electronic and knowledge - leading to economic connectivity. The center of activity emanates from the women engineering college that provides the electronic and knowledge connectivity. Periyar PURA has health care centers, primary to post graduate level education and vocational training centers. This has resulted in large-scale employment generation and creation of number of entrepreneurs with the active support of 850 self-help groups. Two hundreds acres of waste land has been developed into a cultivable land with innovative water management schemes such as contour ponds and water sheds for storing and irrigating the fields. All the villagers are busy in cultivation, planting Jatropha, herbal and medicinal plants, power generation using bio-mass, food processing and above all running marketing centre. This model has emanated independent of any government initiative. The committed leadership has been provided by the Periyar University. Recently, 5 of Periyar PURA villages are connected through Wi-MAX Wireless and having minimum 4 mbps connectivity with the Periyar PURA nodal centre. It provides a sustainable economic development in that region.

PURA cluster in Vidarbha region
On similar lines, Krishi Vidyapeeth can create a PURA complex around the university area covering 40 to 50 villages having a population of nearly one lakh. In this PURA complex apart from agriculture development, we have to initiate actions for providing regular employment and self employment opportunities in nationally competitive small enterprises in agro processing, manufacturing and services sectors for about 5000 people. If the industrial/business parks are marketed well, they can generate employment opportunities in support sector for about 15,000 people in that cluster. This will provide sustainable economy for the rural sector. In this national mission, bankers can promote entrepreneurship in the rural areas. This will lead to the removal of urban-rural divide. Can this Krishi Vidyapeeth consider development of a plan for PURA clusters in the 1000 villages of Akola district in partnership with the district authorities where the Krishi Vidyapeeth PURA can become a training platform for other Vidarbha PURA clusters.

PURA as an Enterprise:
Professionals from this Vidyapeeth are promising candidates for becoming the chief executives for managing the PURA complexes in an integrated way. PURA enterprises can also undertake management of schools, health care units, vocational training centres, chilling plants, silos and building a market, banking system and the regional business or industrial units. A new mission mode management style has to emerge for PURA enterprises. It should not be looking for protective legislations to support them. Rather they should be efficient to compete with others. This new PURA enterprise needs partnership from the bank, from the Government and also from the private entrepreneurs. Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth can train the entrepreneur for managing the PURA as a part of their course and work with the banks for getting loans for creating and running PURAs as a business proposition. Think of public-private-civil society partnerships in these efforts.
Since Vidarbha region is a cotton growing area, I would like to talk to you about an experience where seed cotton productivity has been doubled.

Cotton Experience
I visited a village called Gheri Buttar near Bhatinda in Punjab, where I met the farmers who have successfully increased the production of seed cotton from four hundred and sixty kilogram per acre to eight hundred and sixty kilogram per acre in the year 2005. This has been achieved through a productive partnership among farmers, agricultural scientists, textile industry supervisors and the Government by following a scientific approach to farming, provision of quality inputs, strengthening of quality in every farming step, adopting pre-harvest and post-harvest techniques with an assured market for quality products namely seed cotton. Most important action is to enable farmers to get quality seeds, quality fertilizers and quality pesticides from cooperative societies. I have suggested the farmers in that village to mount a programme of second green revolution in Cotton meaning that instead of selling the cotton produce directly in the market, they should add value to certain quantity of cotton into yarn, cloth and apparel in the village complex itself and market it in the national and international markets which again would need quality standards for processing, storage, packaging and delivery. I am telling you this experience because, Punjab also had low productivity of cotton few years back. With the innovative partnership of industrial units, agriculture universities, district authorities and the farmers, the productivity has almost doubled and has increased the faith of the farmers in cotton crop. This is a model which is available in the country, which will lift the farmers from the suicidal tendencies towards prosperity. Can we not replicate these successes in Vidarbha region and other cotton growing areas. This will be an important contribution of Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth to Vidarbha region.

Conclusion
When I am with you, I would like to suggest the students and faculty members to create two or three PURA complexes in Vidarbha districts in partnership with industrial institutions and district development authorities. This will give hands on experience for the graduates in Agricultural Sciences, Horticulture and Horticultural Management expert to develop sustainable rural complexes for enhancing the economic growth of Vidarbha region.
One of the most challenging tasks before us is how to increase food production with reduced land, reduced water and reduced manpower. Technology is the only way to combat the situation. Specialists like you should work hand in hand with farmers to enable them to increase the yield per unit area.
My best wishes to all the students and members of the faculty of Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, for success in their mission of accelerated rural development through innovative application of technology and management in agriculture, agro-food processing and non-farm value added product development.
May God bless you.