A four-point wish list for Indian agriculture
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Four simultaneous crisis have engulfed Indian agriculture. The first is an income crisis, with stagnant or falling incomes of farm households, which in turn has led to an investment crisis in agriculture.
The second is a factor crisis, of rapidly degrading natural resources, especially soil and water. The third is the accelerating human resources crisis, as increasing numbers of rural youth lose faith in agriculture as a viable employment option and exit the village to seek alternative livelihoods in urban or even foreign locations (sometimes through life threatening methods). To add to this brew is the rapidly developing climate crisis, which threatens our hard-won food security, perhaps the most significant achievement since Independence.
Expecting solutions for legacy challenges through what is essentially an annual accounting statement of the central government is unrealistic. However, given the unique nature of the Union budget, and its outsized impact on the national economy, it has become something of a national pastime to wade through the finance minister’s speech for clues about the larger policy direction. Going beyond allocations to existing and a clutch of creatively named new schemes (which we should certainly expect), here’s a four-point wish list for a longer term reset for agriculture.
What is expected is at least directional messaging, indicating that there is recognition of the long haul ahead. The first and foremost requirement is to re-establish a relationship of trust and cooperation between the Centre and the states, an absolute pre-requisite to address the ongoing multiple crises in agriculture. Without this key pillar of the ecosystem being repaired and
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