Papers and Presentations

• Sustainability of Organic Agriculture in the Current Day Context - Dr C. L. Laxmipathi Gowda (601 downloads)

  Abstract

  Recent evidence suggests that organic agriculture (OA) is becoming unsustainable in many areas of the tropical countries. We need to realize that organic agriculture is not a panacea, and a cure for all ills of modern agriculture. There are important reasons why OA alone, in its present form, will not be sustainable. The current agriculture production (including food, feed, fibre and fodder) needs to be almost doubled to meet the demand for the projected -9 billion population by 2050. Organic agriculture is suitable for some agro-ecologies, and there are niches where OA can be practised profitably and sustainably. One of the essentials of OA is to maintain good soil health, including soil fertility(organic carbon and essential macro and micronutrients), soil structure and soil moisture for good crop production. Most soils in the drylands of arid and semi-arid tropics of the world are low in soil fertility. A recent study from University of Western Australia has reported that it is not feasible to maintain organic matter in soils with less than 600 mm rainfall and daily average temperature of >15C. more…

• Celebrating Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use of Diversity in Fruits - Dr Ramanatha Rao V (526 downloads)

  Introduction

  Different people enjoy different things in life. For me (and I believe for many others), the most wonderful thing on Earth is undoubtedly its biodiversity. Imagine a green forest made up of many different plant species and teaming with a variety of animals and birds. Even a well-maintained mango orchard, with ripe fruits hanging low on the branches, is equally inviting. Besides the aesthetic value, biodiversity, especially agricultural biodiversity, is fundamental to human life and other living beings of planet Earth maybe next only to air and water. Biodiversity must thus be given its primary importance in all ideas, plans, programmes, and projects. In fact, biodiversity must be central to all celebration of life. “Celebrate Biodiversity” is the theme of the World Environment Day 2020 being observed on June 5. Come to think of it, we have been celebrating biodiversity, i.e., all forms of life since ages. Several cultures in the country consider forests, rivers, hills, etc, as sacred and worship them. However, I that this celebration should go beyond festivities, and become full-pledged action plan to protect and nourish the biodiversity that we have. We have to outgrow our cultural practices of valuing symbols and get to scaling up our actions. more…

• Understanding Biodiversity, for human & societal wellbeing - Dr Ramanatha Rao V (577 downloads)

  Synopsis/Abstract

  The Earth’s ecosystem is made up of both living and non-living components, and their interactions. Plants, animals, and all other living beings interacting with each other (in each area) make up the living component, while the non-living component includes the weather, earth, sun, soil, climate, and atmosphere. The structural components of an ecosystem are the vegetation, water, soil, atmosphere, and biota (plant and animal life of a region, habitat, or period) and their interactions within and across the ecosystem(s). Ecosystem services are the benefits that humans obtain from ecosystems; for example, food and water, medicines, etc., which sustain the conditions for life on Earth. The living component of the ecosystem constitutes its biodiversity, comprising all forms and variety of life on Earth across all the different levels of biological organization. Download to read more…

• Rained Agriculture: Resource Base, Technologies and Societal Imperatives - Dr. S.V.R. Shetty (512 downloads)

   

  Abstract

  Globally, rainfed agriculture covers about 40 percent of the world’s land area spreading across 55 countries where more than 2.5 billion people live and depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. In India, about 70% cultivated land supporting about 40 percent of India’s population and contributing to about 45% of the India’s food basket is rainfed. Unlike irrigated areas, where green revolution ushered significant gains in agricultural productivity, rainfed regions continue to suffer from low productivity (< 1ton/ha) due to uncertain rainfall, frequent droughts, degraded land and other fragile natural resource base. People living in these areas are poorest of poor where large proportion of children – about 42% are malnourished. Increasing climate change and climate variability pose new problems in the form of changes in rain fall and temperature patterns coupled with more extreme weather events. Download to read more …

Presentations

• Can Organic Agriculture be Sustainable in the Drylands (193 downloads)

• Conservation and Utilization of Tropical Fruit Tree Genetic Resources, with a focus on Utilization (225 downloads)

• Technological Inputs for Doubling Farmers Incomes (407 downloads)

• Horticultural Genetic Resources Conservation & Use with a Focus on Meeting the Challenges Posed by the Climate Change (115 downloads)

Ramanatha Rao

Former Senior Scientist, Bioversity International & Co-Founder, Global Research-for-development Support Ventures (GRSV), Bengaluru

ICAR Sponsored Winter School on Horticultural Biodiversity Conservation for Livelihood and Nutritional Security in the Era of Anthropocene and Climate change ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru-560089, 11 – 31 March, 2022

• Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture - Dr CL Laxmipathi Gowda (673 downloads)

Former Deputy Director General, ICRISAT and Co-Founder, GRSV Consulting Services, Mysuru

Impacts of climate change on agriculture-1

• • Increase in water scarcity and frequency of drought.
  • Increased risk of heat or drought stress to crops and livestock due to rise in temperature.
  • Changed length of growing period
  • Altered plant phenolgy reflecting in early maturation leading to reduction in yields
  • Increased night-time respiration which reduces potential yields. Download to read more …

• APSA Future Prospects for Sorghum and Pearl millet (593 downloads)

The Global Scenario

• • World population expected to reach 9 billion by 2050
  • > 1 billion poor and hungry people (~65% of poor and 70% of hungry people) live in rural areas
  • Food and nutrition security will be critical, with certainty of climate change
  • > 85% of smallholder farms are in Asia and sub- Saharan Africa. Download to read more …

• Bringing Pulses Revolution- Dr C L Laxmipathi Gowda and Aravind Jukanti (298 downloads)

Pulses and human health

• • Major sources of protein to vegetarians globally
  • Complement staple cereals with essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals
  • Reduce NCDs-Colon Cancer, Cardio-Vascular diseases, etc.
  • Can be cultivated on range of soils, climates and cropping systems
  • Capacity for N-fixation and release of soil bound phosphorus
  • Download to read more …