Edited and abridged e-mail responses of eminent agri-scientist Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, founder-chairman of M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai.
To what extent in your opinion is the poor productivity of Indian agriculture the consequence of declining learning outcomes in rural primaries, as testified by the annual ASER reports of Pratham?
Poor productivity of Indian agriculture is due to several causes. Learning outcomes is not the main cause. Inputs are needed for output. Nearly 60 percent of India’s cultivated area doesn’t have assured irrigation. Fertiliser use efficiency is also low and the soil’s organic content is deteriorating. Above all, the monsoon and market are the major determinants of farmers’ well-being, and both are unfavourable.
Mass rural distress is compounded by the neglect of skills education and the failure of agricultural universities. Do you agree?
Neglect of skills education is costing us dearly. This is why several decades ago, I established Krishi Vigyan Kendras, based on the principle of learning-by-doing. More recently, I have been promoting farm schools in the fields of outstanding farmers to promote land-land or farmer to farmer learning, Agricultural universities need to go back to their original goal of serving the entire farming system, i.e, a crop-livestock-fish integrated production system. Unfortunately agricultural universities are getting fragmented into animal science, horticulture and other narrowly focused universities.
Any other comment?
The agrarian crisis is becoming more intensive and farmers’ suicides caused by a combination of adverse monsoon and market behaviour are getting prominent attention in the mass media. The small compensation being offered to widows and families of farmers who commit suicide has aroused more anger than appreciation. It’s time we look at the fundamental problems faced by farmers.
A century and half ago, the US started land grant colleges based on the Morrill Acts, 1862 and 1890. After India’s independence, we adopted this model of looking at farming in a holistic way, i.e, crop, livestock, fish, agro-forestry and agro-processing as the mandate for our agricultural universities which number 62. Unfortunately, both in the organisation of agricultural varsities and departments, responsibilities are getting fragmented. The agriculture universities which were to serve farmers on a farming system basis, have now been split into veterinary, animal sciences, fisheries and horticulture institutions. Thus farmers aren’t getting integrated advice covering conservation of natural resources, cultivation on the evergreen revolution pattern, consumption and commerce from research, extension or development activities.
Among the problems faced by farming families, the absence of a system of integrated advice and help is a serious one. It’s time now to restore the original concept of farm universities viz, to conduct research, education and extension on a farming system basis. This will help in generating farm and non-farm incomes, thereby saving farmers from total income collapse.