Desertification is the Main Obstacle in the Development of Agriculture Sector


The Dreaded State of Flourishing Desertification

The United Nations estimates that 120 million hectares of agriculturally fertile land in the world is converted into non-fertile land every year. 400 crore hectares of land has been degraded in the world. About 40 percent of the population of Asia and Africa is living in areas where there is a constant threat of desertification. Most of these people depend on occupation like agriculture and animal husbandry for their livelihood. One-third of India's land, ie between 97 million and 100 million hectares of land is degraded. Due to the degradation of the land, the biological and economic productivity of the land starts to decrease. Secondly, the yields and income of the farmer is also affected. Thirdly, in case of small and marginal farmers who have very little land, their daily bread is threatened. Employment opportunities become less and people migrate from villages to cities. The entire eco-system itself starts changing. Due to the degradation of land, the country is losing US $ 4600 million every year. If the solution to this serious problem is not thought in time, then the day is not far when a large part of the land in the world will be converted into a desert.

14th Cope Conference

Realizing the seriousness of the above topic, the 14th Conference of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCDCOP) was held in Greater Noida, near New Delhi, between 2nd September and 13th September 2019 in India. UNCCDCOP has 197 countries in the world, as its members. More than 9000 experts from around the world and representatives from member countries attended the conference. This conference was held with the objective of discussing the reasons for the desertification of a large part of the world and the measures to prevent it. While addressing this conference, on 9 September 2019, the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi stated that India will increase the target to make 2.10 crore hectares of land fertile by 2030 to 2.60 crore hectares. The Prime Minister further said that India has increased the area of ​​trees and forest in the country by 8 lakh hectares between 2015 and 2017 to prevent increase of desertification. Not only this, the Prime Minister further said that we have to pay attention to the problem of wastelands as well as shortage of water. Also, India has taken steps to stop the use of single use plastic and the world should also pay more attention to it. In order to prevent desertification of the land in the world, the member countries of COP14 had also jointly issued a statement.

Reasons for the Land Becoming Barren

The demand of land for agriculture and non-agricultural use in the country is increasing. But, if the barren land of the country is not made fertile again, then it is impossible to meet the demand because the supply of new land cannot increase but on the other hand the fertile land is getting converted into barren land. There are many reasons for fertile land getting converted into wasteland, eg, soil erosion - due to strong wind, due to dust, the soil flies away and the area becomes sandy. Due to heavy rains, the soil gets washed away with water and the land of the area becomes less fertile. Secondly, excessive use of chemical fertilizers and insecticides also make the soil alkaline. Thirdly, when the water is stored in the canals for irrigation purpose and if the water does not drain properly, the land starts to deteriorate due to the accumulation of water. There are many other reasons as well, such as deforestation and destroying of water sources, reduction in concrete forests due to urbanization, increase of heat in the environment due to industrialization, planting of new trees during the last 50-60 year, has not been in sufficient quantity and indiscriminate use of water, (80 percent of the water is being used for agriculture irrigation purpose under the open canal policy in the field of agriculture and this is causing excessive wastage of water). Unbalanced use of nutritional ingredients, such as providing huge subsidies from the government on urea fertilizer (nitrogen) and high usage of urea by the farmer. Reducing the use of phosphorus and pottas, hence the unbalanced use of manure. Also, excessive use of micronutrients, such as zinc, magazines. Due to these reasons, the yield is decreasing and the land is getting degraded. Indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides is destroying the fertility of the earth on the one hand and on the other hand this poison is reaching the body of people through grains and vegetables and they are becoming victims of various diseases. 

Due to all the reasons mentioned above, we are moving rapidly towards desertification

Chemical Fertilizer and Pesticide Based Farming 

The most important reason mentioned above is the adoption of chemical fertilizers and pesticide based farming practices. Chemical fertilizer and pesticide  based farming was introduced during the Industrial Revolution in Europe with the aim of achieving higher yields in less land. Later, developing countries including India adopted this method of farming.

With a view to reducing the import of fertilisers from abroad, factories were established to produce chemical fertilizer with the aim of ensuring supply of chemical fertilizer within the country. Thus crops of paddy, wheat and other products were grown using hybrid seeds, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, etc. Initially it increased productivity but later the soil moisture friability decreased and agricultural friendly living organisms were massively destroyed. As the soil's natural productivity decreased, and the need for chemical fertilizers increased, but on the other hand productivity began to decline. For example, with use of one kilogram of chemical fertilizer the produce used to increase by 25 kg in 1960, which started decreasing to 15 kg in 1975 and only 6 kg in 2009. Thus on one hand the cost increased due to increase in consumption of chemical fertilizers and on the other hand, the decline in productivity reduced the profit.

The ideal ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash is 4:2:1 but this ratio has deteriorated to 31:8:1 in Punjab and 28:6:1 in Haryana. More or less the same situation prevails in other states as well. Excessive use of urea severely affected the nitrogen cycle. The side effect of nitrogen is not limited to soil-water. It is also a greenhouse gas in the form of nitrous oxide and is a major contributor to global climate change. Significantly, nitrous oxide is 300 times more effective than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.

During the Green Revolution, indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers, neglecting the crop cycle, neglecting water conservation led to increasing scope of desertification in the country. According to the report of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), the Thar Desert, confined to Rajasthan, has now started engulfing Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The expansion of Thar can be gauged from the fact that by 1996, the desert spread over 1.96 lakh sq km has now expanded to 2.10 lakh sq km. Similarly, soil fertility is rapidly decreasing in all parts of the country.

Efforts by the Government

On 15 August 2019, on Independence Day, the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, while addressing the citizens of the country from the ramparts of the Red Fort, emphasized on eco-friendly farming, gradually reducing the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and finally stop using them. The Central Government has seriously taken the matter of  rapid conversion of the country's land into a desert and has implemented several schemes to effectively prevent it, some of which are described below.

In view of the ill effects of urea under chemical fertilizers, pesticides, the Central Government has increased the subsidy on phosphorus and potash, so that farmers balance the use of fertilizers. The Central Government, taking far-reaching steps, is now trying to encourage organic farming by phasing out the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. This will not only conserve the environment but will also increase the income of farmers.

A centre has been set up at Dehradun by the Forest Research Institute to prevent the spread of desertification in the country. This centre strives to coordinate all measures related to preventing desertification and at the same time, it also provides technical and expert help to other institutions.

During the year 2015, the Prime Minister Agricultural Irrigation Scheme was implemented in the country. Under this scheme, irrigation and water conservation is to be coordinated by adopting a holistic approach. Its main objective is to get more production by properly using each drop of water. Along with this, irrigation projects pending for years are being completed. Along with water harvesting and water management, attention is also being given to watershed development.

The Central Government has also implemented several schemes aimed at removing problems relating to the agricultural sector. Like, for crop insurance, Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme has been launched. For improving agricultural productivity, Prime Minister Kisan Irrigation Scheme has been launched. For protecting income of farmers, Prime Minister “Annadata" Income Protection Campaign has been launched. For removing gaps in the procurement system of agriculture, many agriculture produce have been brought under the purview of Minimum Support Price Scheme. The minimum support price of agricultural produce is being increased to 1.5 times of the cost of production. For providing a fixed income support to farmers, Pradhan Mantri Kisan Yojana has been launched.

Zero budgeting as a natural farming technique is also being encouraged in the country. While presenting the finance budget for the financial year 2019-20, the Finance Minister has mentioned that zero budgeting technique as a natural farming technique will be adopted across the country. While, according to an estimate, 40 lakh farmers are already using this technique in the country today. Through this technique, global warming and changes in the atmosphere can be countered. This technique reduces the cost of farming. In the Economic Review of FY 2018-19, it has been described as an attractive livelihood option for small farmers.

According to the 2018 report of the Energy, Environment and Water Council, agricultural sector has to adopt certain procedures before adopting Zero Budgeting as a natural farming techniques. For example, under the first process, called "Bijamrit", cow dung and cow urine solution is applied on the seeds. The second process, called "Jeevamrita", involves spraying mix of cow dung, cow urine, jaggery, small pieces of pulses, water into the soil to increase soil bacteria. The third process, known as "Achchadan", involves coating of biomass on the soil surface to prevent water evaporation and for formation of “humus” in the soil. The fourth process, called "Vafsa", produces equal amounts of air and vapor particles in the soil. The Zero Budget Natural farming system uses various solutions made of cow dung, cow urine and green chilli, known as "Kshayam", to control pests. Jeevamrit can be sprayed once or twice a month in the fields. The farmer cultivating through this method does not have to buy any kind of manure, pesticide and chemicals from the market. Electricity and water for irrigation of crops is also spent at ten percent compared to what is used in case of existing farming system.

Tips to Prevent Desertification

Now the question is, how to prevent the above terrible situation from becoming more serious. Many agricultural scientists have given many suggestions in this regard. As such, 17 crore soil health cards have been issued so far stated to be a very good initiative of the Central Government. Under this system, soil is tested to find out the type of nutrient required to increase the productivity of the soil. Accordingly, the use of manure, seeds and pesticides are recommended to the farmer. Balanced use of nutrients not only increases the productivity of the land but also reduces the use of fertilizers. Spending on farming comes down, resulting in increase in the income of farmers.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has given the slogan “More crop per drop". Under this scheme, various methods of micro irrigation are being used. A drought-prone country like Israel through sprinkler irrigation and drip irrigation has made itself self-sufficient in agricultural production.

Agricultural scientists suggest that every crop requires different kinds of nutritional elements, so farmers should move from the same type of crop to multi-crop and mixed-crop systems, under which trees and large shrubs should also be planted on their fields so that the lost fertility is regained by the ground. More and more natural form of  forests should be developed.

Agricultural scientists are of the opinion that framer should not leave the land unused between two farms. The more land left unused means more nutrients will be lost. Therefore, farmers should maximise the use of their land on continuous basis. Some other trees can be planted on empty  piece of land. Mixed farming should be done. At every two months period, one or the other crop should be grown. Thus, every year four or five crops can be taken by the farmers. For this the soil has to be made fertile. Soil fertility can be increased by water harvesting, micro irrigation. There are also plants available which can improve soil fertility. Some organic materials also increase soil fertility.

To think that ceasing to use chemical fertilizers would reduce production would be a misleading assumption. It has been proved in many researches in the country and abroad that chemical fertilizer and pesticide-free farming not only reduces the cost but also increases the production. Based on several studies conducted in India and China by the International Agricultural Development Fund, it has been confirmed that the adoption of natural cultivation, significantly increases the income of farmers. Therefore, the farmers should eliminate the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides and adopt the traditional farming method of our country and cultivate it naturally.

Spread of Desertification has to be Stopped

To speed up the development of agricultural sector in the country, desertification will have to be stopped. Various types of efforts are being made by various governments, but all the farmers will have to come forward and pay attention to the suggestions given above. The importance of agriculture sector for the country's economy can be understood from the fact that about 60 percent of the total population of the country still lives in villages and for their employment they mainly dependent on agriculture sector. Also, this category is the largest market for goods produced by various industries. Agricultural development in India means development of the country otherwise the economic development of the country will stop. Therefore, in the end, again it can be said that the spread of desertification will have to be stopped in the interest of the agriculture sector and the economy in general.