Agriculture and Sustainable Agriculture

The growing human population and backwardness of agriculture remained the principal reasons behind the scarcity of food in India up to 1950. Hunger and poverty prevailed everywhere. Agriculture had to depend solely on the monsoon, and the failure of the monsoon frequently led to the destruction of crops. About 40 lakhs people died during the famine that attacked Bengal in 1942–43, which was one of the most acute famines in world history. People could not even imagine food sufficiency in those days.

Traditional Agriculture in India and Its Limitations

Earlier, only indigenous crops were grown in India through indigenously developed methods. The system of assured irrigation had not developed by that time. Gradually, the development of agricultural technology and new research enabled farmers to make proper arrangements and derive more production from farming.

The introduction of farm machinery, large-scale cropping, and the application of agrochemicals such as pesticides, insecticides, fungicides, and hormones, along with the use of High Yielding Varieties (HYV) of seeds, enabled India to produce sufficient food.

However, later it was observed that:

Challenges of Modern Agriculture

(I) Small farmers with limited landholdings could not adopt new agricultural methods due to poverty. As a result, they gradually became poorer, and many started working as labourers on large farms.

(II) Cropping on large farms led to large-scale infestation of insects and pests. This required heavy use of poisonous pesticides, causing imbalances in the local environment, contamination of food chains, interruption of biogeochemical cycles, and the spread of toxic synthetic chemicals through the ecosystem.

(III) The expansion of farms at the cost of forests caused ecological imbalance and destruction of wildlife habitats.

Unsustainability of Modern Agriculture

From the above account, it is evident that modern agriculture, with its numerous harmful impacts such as land degradation, ecosystem poisoning, extinction of species, deforestation, increasing dependency on agrochemicals, and widening inequality, is unsustainable.

These concerns have led experts and planners to advocate for sustainable agriculture as a long-term solution.

Sustainable Agriculture: Meaning and Definition

The term “sustainable” is derived from the Latin word sustinere (sus = below, tenere = to hold), meaning to maintain or support over the long term. In the context of agriculture, it refers to farming systems that can maintain productivity and usefulness to society indefinitely.

A sustainable agriculture system must:

• Conserve natural resources
• Support social structures
• Remain economically competitive
• Maintain ecological balance

Thus, sustainable agriculture refers to an integrated system of plant and animal production practices specific to a particular region.

Objectives of Sustainable Agriculture

Over the long term, a sustainable agriculture system aims to:

• Satisfy human needs for food and fiber
• Enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base
• Ensure efficient use of non-renewable and on-farm resources
• Integrate natural biological cycles and controls
• Sustain economic viability of farming
• Improve quality of life for farmers and society
• Ensure equitable distribution of resources

Sustainable Agriculture in India: Policy Perspective

To ensure sustainability in Indian agriculture, the National Policy on Agriculture emphasizes:

• Utilization of the vast untapped growth potential of Indian agriculture
• Strengthening rural infrastructure for rapid agricultural development
• Promotion of value addition and agri-based industries
• Creation of employment opportunities in rural areas
• Ensuring a fair standard of living for farmers and workers
• Discouraging rural-to-urban migration
• Addressing challenges of economic liberalization and globalization

Definition of Sustainable Agriculture (India’s Policy)

According to India’s Agricultural Policy, sustainable agriculture is defined as:

“A system based on technically sound, economically viable, environmentally non-degrading, and socially acceptable use of natural resources such as land, water, and genetic resources.”

In other words, it includes farming practices that maintain or enhance economic viability while preserving the natural resource base.

FAO Definition of Sustainable Agriculture

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):

“The successful management of resources for agriculture to satisfy changing human needs, while maintaining or enhancing environmental quality and conserving natural resources” (FAO, 1989).

FAO further explains that sustainable agriculture involves:

• Conservation of land, water, and genetic resources
• Technological and institutional advancement
• Long-term satisfaction of human needs
• Economic viability and social acceptability

Key Goals of Sustainable Agriculture

Sustainable agriculture integrates three major goals:

• Environmental stewardship
• Farm profitability
• Prosperous farming communities

These goals can be understood from both the farmer’s and the consumer’s perspectives.