Agri Future – Hands up agriculture

Posts Tagged ‘GLOBAL’

The total power of China’s agricultural machinery was 525.7 million kW in 2000, 684.0 million kW in 2005, 821.9 million kW in 2008, and 875.0 million kW in 2009. In the meantime, the ownership of large and medium-sized tractors increased from 975,000 sets in 2000 to 5.019 million sets in 2009, while the ownership of combine harvesters rose from 235,000 sets to 847,000 sets, at a CAGR of 20.2% and 15.3% respectively. With the growth in both the subsidy for and the total number of agricultural machinery, China’s agricultural machinery structure has been continuously improved. On the one hand, agricultural machinery power per hectare had increased gradually to 7.2kW in 2009, up 22.0% compared to 5.9kW in 2007. On the other hand, the large-power, high-performance and compound machinery had witnessed rapid growth. In 2007, the general agricultural mechanization level, and the ratio of agricultural labor force to total social employment respectively reached 42.5% and 38%, indicating that China’s agricultural mechanization had entered into the intermediate period. In 2009, the general agricultural mechanization level reached 48.8%, and the mechanization of plowing, sowing and harvesting respectively achieved 64%, 40% and 37%. Meanwhile, China’s three major crops also achieved rapid development in terms of mechanization level. Wheat production has almost achieved complete mechanization, and the production of both rice and corn achieved over 54% of mechanization. In 2009, the general agricultural mechanization level of wheat, rice and corn was respectively 89%, 54.9% and 54.8%. After the launch of agricultural machinery subsidy policy, the total number of China’s agricultural machinery cooperative organizations and large agricultural machinery owners increased to 39 million in 2009 from 30.818 million in 2003, and agricultural mechanization income also rose to RMB380 billion in 2009 from RMB226.96 billion in 2003. Besides worldwide and China’s agricultural machinery development, the report also makes an in-depth analysis of six agricultural machinery products, six key provinces and municipalities, as well as 15 major companies.By product, tractor, harvesting machinery, field machinery and agricultural transport machinery except pump all witnessed rapid growth in output in 2009.

Agricultural Production has entered new era of competitive-low-cost globally oriented enterprise. The cost-benefit ratio decide the mode of Farming. Global marketing needs some changes at base level. Farmers have to be cost conscious and need new strategies of mixing various farming option like Agriculture, Horticulture, Livestock husbandry and Floriculture activities. A new model for incorporating all these fields in an eco-friendly mode is discussed. Appropriate mixed technology in tune with natural resources needed at the moment in India.. An agricultural mission for efficient Resource management should aim at bridging gap between current farm yield and potential Farm yield. Use of bio-technology and bio-informatics for identification of economically viable cropping options and combinations can not be ruled out ,however soil and environmental preservation must be kept in mind while using biotech farming options. We should talk of Eco-conducive-germplasm-base instead of high productive germplasm, un-competable to our natural resources. All these and other aspects of future agricultural scenario in India is discussed in these pages. India with 1.09 billion people and 60% of them dependent on agriculture can not be leveled with USA who has merely339 million people and only 0.7 of them dependent or agriculture. Therefore the past trend of aping USA OR EU models of agricultural development won’t help. We have to innovate new ways and means conducive to our agrarian conditions and available resource to increase our food production for growing population in future. Some of the original thoughts of the author published as e-papers are reproduced here to suggest new innovative models. Change of mind set We will need a change in the mechanism of technology dissemination thus a reformation model for extension education in India is proposed in these pages. More than 50% of our practicing farmers are women who are not exposed to technology new or old, thus a system of their capacity building and skill up-gradation shall be focused Agricultural and allied technologies tested and available in India have been the replications of commercial farming ventures of the west. I would dare to blame our policy planners for this vulnerable state de-affairs.

The world has shrunk into a global village and as such technological developments taking place in any advanced country become known instantly, which help other countries like ours to adopt and follow their techniques to remain updated. One of such countries is Israel, which is characterized by topographical variations and a wide range of soils, enabling the growing and raising of a variety of crops and animals. A large increase in population immediately after 1948 required a rapid increase in food production, followed by development of research and extension facilities and services. In recent years Israel, like many other countries, has faced difficulties in continuing the supply of services it previously provided. This difficulty led agricultural organizations to begin assuming the responsibility of partially financing extension for a few years, and later trying to reflect the cost into the farmers. Farmers are apparently willing to pay for on-farm extension visits. Under this system, the Flower Board is financing many public extension activities and charging the farmer for partial costs of on-farm visits. This system operates successfully, aided by reports that are filed electronically by agents all over Israel to the Floricultural Department Head Office, and from the Head Office to the Flower Board. Advantages of the new system being a tremendous increase in agent-to-farmer commitment; the professional level of agents remains at least the same as before; and the financial situation of the majority of agents is better than before. The disadvantage is that some farmers are consuming less extension than before. Similarly, California’s land grant extension programme has been successful in assisting agricultural Industries develop as major world producers. Extension has been a leader in facilitating quality-of-state. However, population explosion has transformed California into an urban state, with changing societal issues, values and priorities. Agricultural extension programmes continue to directly serve a declining number of clientele that represent less than 1.5% of the population. Financial support for extension is decreasing at the country and state levels, thus such models used by us in SAU could be catastrophic and need change.