For quite some time now, we have not been hearing anything to cheer about agriculture. Bursting harvests, problems of plenty and unseemly display of farm wealth are things of the past. A larger question is: Who is happy doing farming? 

In the Indian agricultural sector, nearly 80 per cent are small and marginal farmers, and a bulk of them want to leave farming. But their literacy levels, mindset and job skills, do not fit into other sectors of the economy, which have become capital-intensive, technology-intensive and not labour-intensive. So, they are stuck in farming. The rest of the so-called “big farmers”, a small proportion, are also caught between mounting production costs and dwindling farm incomes.  

Though shrinking in size, agriculture is still a major sector in the Indian economy. Policy makers, over many five-year plans, have not been able to guide its proper growth, which serves a dual purpose of creating wealth and providing livelihoods. The basic reason is that our understanding of the farm sector, in its structure and dynamics, remains woefully inadequate. We are guided essentially by the macro level perceptions, without the matching micro level perceptions. As a result, both the wealth creators and the livelihood seekers are in trouble.  

Green revolution

We seem to think that a green revolution is just a call away, and we take it as the only solution to the problem. This revolution was made possible with the help of a biological material of high yield potential – hybrids and high-yielding varieties. In the 60’s and 70’s, high yielding varieties of all important crops were produced through research. But, not much, emerged later. Now, the hope lies in research in genetic modification. It is a long way to go. Hence, the second green revolution is not an immediate possibility.

Also, as seen in the past, it benefited only the favourable farming conditions like the irrigated areas, only the well-to-do farmers and it required expensive purchased inputs. But, the areas to be benefited now are the dry farming tracts – not the affluent farming conditions. Also farmers are resource-poor and cannot afford expensive inputs.

Generally, we assume that all farmers have the same managerial ability in coping with the changing world around them and utilising the development opportunities available. But, over the years two distinct segments in the farming society have emerged – elite farmers and non-elite farmers.

Elite farmers are small in proportion, more like a creamy layer, having a better social status, economic ability, larger world view, wider contacts, higher aspirations and superior management competence. They competently cope with the challenges. In contrast, non-elite farmers are large in proportion, forming the bulk, have innate ability to grow but suffer some constraints. They are poor in resources, have limited world view, often risk-shy and comfortable as conformists. They need special attention to be brought into the development mainstream – a capacity building task. 

New approach

These assumptions need to be re-examined. New insights gained may help in fine-tuning the development strategies. However, it has to be stated, in fairness, that the development efforts made so far are essential to create the necessary conditions for development. In that sense what has been done till now was “necessary,” but not “sufficient.” If the present objective is to lift the growth rate in agriculture, we should not only continue what we are doing, but also go beyond to seek new options available for growth.

From this viewpoint, it is to be highlighted that the prospective opportunity for growth lies very much in exploiting the potential in three spheres. One is reaching the un-reached farmers. These are essentially the so-called non-elite farmers who are large in number, collectively hold a substantial farmland and are in need of a helping hand. Second is concentrating on developing dry farming. Though seen as unstable at the moment, a considerable amount of stability can be built into dry farming by adopting the improved agronomic practices.

Third, is generating alternative farming practices, which are acceptable and affordable, employing an established methodology of working with farmers called “participatory technology development (PTD).”  There is still room for widening the vision of development in agriculture.   

(The writer is a former Vice Chancellor, University of Agriculture Sciences, Bangalore.)