Indian agriculture must balance profits with sustainable practices
agricultural landscape is crucial. India's "White Revolution" or "Operation Flood," initiated in the 1970s, ushered in a dairy boom that transformed India into the world's largest milk producer. But while this has enhanced milk productivity, it has also raised significant environmental and societal challenges.
The shift towards intensive dairy farming practices has led to overgrazing, degradation of grazing lands, and higher emissions of methane – a potent greenhouse gas. Research by the Indian Institute of Science demonstrates that livestock farming accounts for 7.8% of India's total greenhouse gas emissions, with dairy farming being a significant contributor. Moreover, the concentration of dairy cooperatives in India's western and southern regions has created economic disparities.
While the White Revolution aimed to augment rural incomes and offer nutrient-rich food to the masses, it unintentionally marginalised small farmers, who found themselves unable to compete with larger, better-equipped dairy cooperatives. Notwithstanding Operation Flood's success, it has led to lopsided wealth distribution in India's dairy sector. This begs the question: why aren't businesses listening? Why is there a seeming disinterest in sustainable practices? The myopia of profit-driven corporations often obscures the long-term need for sustainability.
The current economic system, with its focus on growth and shareholder value, propels businesses towards cost-cutting and resource exploitation. Environmental degradation, animal welfare, and public health are typically sidelined in the pursuit of maximising profits. Take India's poultry industry, for instance, which was valued at ₹900 billion ($12 billion) in 2019, according to the National
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