Author: Admin

GRSV Blog no. 8
Release date: 22/04/2021
V. Ramanatha Rao, C.L. Laxmipathi Gowda, S.V.R. Shetty, and M.J. Vasudeva Rao,
Co-founders, Global Research for Development Support Ventures

While smallholder farmers (SHF, defined as owning less that 2 ha of land) constitute a large segment (86%) of the farming community in India, at present they have a negligible role, if at all, in deciding the price of what they produce. In our view, they should be enabled to play a more active role. We present a brief picture of the scenario as it exists, in order to justify our view.

GRSV Blog No. 6,
Released on 20/09/2020,
Over the last few years, there has been considerable discussion in India on doubling farmers’ income. The current Central Government has launched a program for “Doubling Farmers’ Income” to be achieved by 2022, and it has set up a Task Force headed by a senior IAS officer. Farmers’ income can be increased, theoretically speaking, by either (i) doubling the yield, or (ii) doubling the market price for the farm produce. In addition, other measures would be needed to attain this goal, which would include resource-use efficiency and reduced cost of production, intensive farming, use of Internet of Things (IoT), crop diversification, the “real” price received by farmers, etc. In this context, ‘Secondary Agriculture’ and allied activities can help to enhance farmers’ incomes. The time set for achieving the target, 2022, appears to be a stiff one, especially in the rainfed and other dry land areas, as only two years remain.

GRSV Blog No. 5,
Released on 23/07/2020,
The agriculture education system in India needs a major “surgical strike” if it has to serve its purpose in the current and future decades.In other words, current approaches are inadequate and a new approach is needed.

GRSV Blog No. 4,
Released on 11/05/2020,
These are unprecedented times. The world has come to a sudden halt due to the crisis caused by the novel Coronavirus (COVID 19) pandemic. When we consider the many epidemics and disasters seen before, history seems to be repeating itself: the world has seen major health crises every 100 years over the last four centuries with Plague (1720), Cholera (1820), Spanish Flu (1920), and COVID -19 in 2020. The information on how many are dead and how many are affected by the present pandemic are available widely in the media. The pandemic has shut down large parts of the world economy, which is fast sliding towards a deep recession. Though the virus is a calamity in the area of public health, it has impacted all major economic activity, including the primarily important agricultural sector. Hence the question we ask – can agriculture bounce back or comeback transformed for the better once this present pandemic end – globally in general and India in particular? We think it will.

GRSV Blog No. 3,
Released on 16/04/2019,
Even as I think about it, the dilemma about valuation of biodiversity (including that of plant genetic resources) is continuing. This dilemma has been referred to as Utilitarian Dilemma (Bartkowski 2017). This dilemma seems to arise with our preoccupation to put value on each and everything that we come across. When someone says he/she got something, immediate question would be how much it cost? This human preoccupation with use and value is relevant to day today living as well as long-term progress. Nevertheless, putting an economic value (disregarding existence value; one of the non-use values, the others being bequest value and altruistic value.) can be quite counterproductive to many human endeavours.

GRSV Blog No. 2,
Released on 26/08/2018,
The Prime Minister of India has called for doubling farmers’ income by 2022, coinciding with Platinum Jubilee of India’s independence. As a precursor to this historic declaration, significant budgetary provisions have been made for priority programs such as: Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sanchayee Yojana, Gram Jyoti Yojana, Faisal Bima Yojana and E-National Agriculture Market. Recently, several national and international research and development institutions and think-tanks such as NITI Aayog, Indian Council of Food and Agriculture, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, and International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics have developed various strategic papers on transforming Indian Agriculture, and suggested key programs to achieve the Prime Minister’s vision. Also, various government ministries, State agricultural departments, agricultural science and technology organizations and professional societies have been gearing towards meeting this challenging goal.

GRSV Blog No. 1,
Released on 07/05/2017,
Organic Farming has become another popular Bandwagon. Every other person wants to jump-in and take a ride, irrespective of whether it will help the cause or not. There are: (i) farmers who are practical organic farming practitioners; (ii) enthusiastic entrants who want to give it a honest try, and (iii) activists who want to take up the cause. We have sympathy and support for the former two groups. But the last group bothers me, as most are arm-chair advisors, and barely understand the basics of agriculture and principles of organic farming, much less the dynamic nature of sustaining soil fertility and protecting environment

GRSV Blogs are considered statements of information or opinion on a contemporary topic affecting agriculture and allied fields. Blogs can be written by GRSV as a group or by its individual experts in an informal or conversational style. This is