Agriculture-The backbone of Indian Economy and key factor to provide livelihood in the Environment
Sayyed Juned A and Syed Abrar Ahmed*
Published: December 06, 2022
Abstract
Agriculture is one of the most important sectors of the Indian economy. It has existed in this country for thousands of years. It has evolved over the years and the use of new technology and equipment has replaced almost all traditional farming methods. Also, there are still some small farmers in India who use old traditional farming methods as they lack the resources to apply modern methods. Moreover, it is the only sector that contributes to the growth not only of itself but also of other sectors in the country.
In terms of population, agriculture is one of the biggest industries in the world and supports nearly half of the country’s population. It is also the most important source of food for about 58% of the population. India has the biggest area planted the different crops in various regions as well as the largest agricultural exports in the world. A significant part of the Indian economy is devoted to agriculture, where the Indian agricultural sector holds the record for the second-largest land area in the world. The agricultural sector provides livelihoods, especially in the vast rural areas and contributes greatly to the domestic product (GDP) of India.
The future of agriculture is a very important issue for planners and all other stakeholders. In India the government and other organizations are trying to solve the major challenges in agriculture including smallholder farming, primary and secondary processing, supply chain and infrastructure supporting the use of the efficiency of resources and marketing, reducing intermediaries in the market. It is necessary to work on profitable technologies with environmental protection and conservation of our natural resources.
Agriculture in terms of food security, rural employment and green technologies such as soil protection, sustainable management of natural resources and biodiversity conservation is essential for comprehensive rural development. Some activities are beneficial to Indian agriculture such as Green Revolution, White Revolution, Yellow Revolution and Blue Revolution. These activities are essential for agricultural products; machinery, and research.
Environment and agriculture are the relationships between agricultural practices and the environment. As a result, it largely depends on the work of employed farmers and on the scale of practice but also poses serious negative impacts, including pollution and degradation of soil, water, and air. In fact, agriculture has a positive impact on the environment, for instance, by absorbing greenhouse gases within crops and soils, and preventing flooding, which is a risky adaptation process. The environment is the geographical condition that surrounds us. It includes all the living and non-living factors and their interrelationships with each other. It not only provides food for human being itself but it plays an important role to nourish most of the living components in our ecosystem. Most of the functions are played by the agriculture apart from crop production; it is helpful to increase the percentage of oxygen in the air.
The root of the crops hold soil particles together and it prevents soil erosion. Agriculture also provides fodder for domestic animals. It supports animal husbandry which is the most profitable occupation for farmers. Agriculture provides raw materials for many industries such as sugarcane, cotton textiles, jute industries and oil refineries etc. In almost each and every tribal area, agriculture is the only source of food for the Adivasi people. Agriculture supports the formation of rain by the evapotranspiration. Most of the climatic conditions are directly or indirectly related to the agriculture. Hence it improves the quality of the environment.
Agriculture makes easy the way of life of the farmer and it provides healthy life to the people as well. It plays a supportive role to make the mother earth healthy, wealthy and happy. If the man is not ready to take care of agriculture and the environment, he will be in the trouble in future. Unfortunately, farmers themselves and the government is not ready for giving importance to agriculture. The son of the farmer is not ready to follow the agriculture. The father himself is avoiding his son to practice agriculture. The girl doesn’t want to marry with the son of farmer. If the farmer, common man and government are denying their role, gradually the agriculture field will suffer.
Finally, I would like to say that saving agriculture will protect the environment.