Mission India for Transforming Agriculture (MITrA)

Humankind’s biggest challenge in the 21st century is to ensure food and nutritional security for the growing population and improved livelihoods for smallholder farmers. World population is estimated to swell to 9.3 billion by 2050. India has to feed 1.4 billion people by 2025 and water demand for food production will increase dramatically. This challenge becomes increasingly acute in light of the depleting water resources (5177 m3 in 1951 to 1545 m3 in 2011), degrading land and increasingly variable weather associated with climate change. The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India has taken a novel initiative to transform agriculture in India as part of the Digital India program by transforming the rural economy and creating skilled jobs in rural areas. The Government of India has initiated various innovative schemes to enhance food production and to mitigate impacts of climate change. At the request of the Prime Minister’s Office, Government of India, to prepare a long-term strategy to increase economic opportunities for rural families in India, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)1 has prepared a set of six strategy papers: 1) Pulses2 2) PMKSY3) Soil Mapping4) Agri Markets5) Crop Insurance6 and 6) Digital Agriculture. The draft versions, based on the PMO request, were discussed with the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India7 and its senior officers made detailed suggestions to refine and strengthen these papers. This summary, elaborated in the following sections and the set of strategy papers, attached separately, incorporate the suggestions made by the Ministry officials and other leading sector-specialists from India

Physico‑chemical, microbial and phytotoxicity evaluation of composts from sorghum, finger millet and soybean straws

Open Access Journal; Published online: 24 Dec 2018Purpose Composting is an environmentally sustainable alternative for bioconversion of agricultural residues into a nutrient-rich product that can enhance soil fertility/microbial diversity and thereby improve agricultural productivity. The goal of the current study was to evaluate the decomposition pattern of the agro-residues and assess the maturity and phytotoxicity of the composts obtained using physico-chemical, microbial and statistical analyses. The study also attempted to determine a threshold germination index (GI) to serve as a maturity index for the composts by conducting seed germination assays with tomato, chickpea and soybean seeds. Methods Three agricultural residues/straws of Eleusine coracana (finger millet), Sorghum bicolor (sorghum) and Glycine max (soybean) were subjected to aerobic composting for a period of 60 days to study the impact of saw dust on the decomposition pattern and the ultimate compost quality/characteristics. Results The results showed efficient decomposition pattern of the agricultural residues characterized by high temperature profiles (up to 70 °C), high microbial activity, a sharp decrease in C/N ratio of the composting materials, i.e., from an initial 41–61 to final 10–17. Conclusions Statistical evaluation of seed germination assays showed that only the compost obtained from sorghum straw + saw dust was mature and free from any phytotoxicity as all the tested seeds showed higher and statistically significant GIs. It was difficult to attribute a single threshold GI value to indicate maturity of compost and could not further be applied to different types of composts as different seeds responded differently to the same compost

Evapotranspiration paradox at a semi-arid location in India

Paradox of decreasing evaporation and evapotranspiration under increasing temperature conditions in the semi-arid tropics assumes greater importance as agriculture in these areas is more vulnerable to climate change. Trends in annual reference crop evapotranspiration (ETo) at Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh indicated a reduction of about 200 mm from 1850 mm to 1650 mm during the past 35 years. Contribution of energy balance term to the total ETo has shown an increasing trend while aerodynamic term has a decreasing trend. Wind speed has shown a strong negative trend leading to the dramatic fall of the aerodynamic term and consequently the ETo. Rate of reduction in evapotranspiration demand was about 10% for kharif (Jun-Oct) and about 14% for rabi (Nov-Feb). At Patancheru, measured temperature and solar radiation showed opposite trends and at locations where no measured solar radiation data available and if solar radiation is estimated from air temperature alone for use as an input in crop modelling, outputs under such conditions need to be interpreted with caution. Present study highlights the need for climate change impact studies at a local level in addition to those based on regional and global circulation models

Gender Issues in Watershed Management

The rain-fed areas in the semi-arid tropics are characterised by low and erratic rainfall, severe land degradation, low crop yields and high poverty. Watershed programmes are recognised as a potential engine for agricultural growth and sustainable development in rain-fed areas (Wani et al., 2003). The success and sustainability of watershed programmes are directly related to collective action and community participation (Wani et al., 2008; Sreedevi and Wani, 2007). Women are key players as managers and direct actors in managing natural resources in the watershed and addressing household food security and nutritional goals. How ever, too often, they play a passive role in decision-making processes because of their low educational levels, social customs and economic dependence. Though women share a major workload for managing the natural resources, the benefits of the watershed programmes largely bypass them, except where targeted income-generating and employment interventions have been undertaken (Sreedevi et al., 2009