A STUDY ON SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE WITH

REFERENCE TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF MODERN

TECHNOLOGY

INTRODUCTION:
Agriculture is the science or practice of farming, including cultivation of
the soil for the growing of crops and the rearing of animals to provide
food, wool, and other products. Agriculture, with its allied sectors, is
unquestionably the largest livelihood provider in India, more so in the
vast rural areas. It also contributes a significant figure to the Gross
Domestic Product (GDP).

No matter how much a man progresses, agriculture is an occupation

that was, is and will always be undertaken since it suffices one of the
most important basic needs of the population – Food. Hence,
technology is added in this field to find ways to increase agricultural
production in order to feed the ever growing demand for food due to
the drastic increase in population. Therefore, many new ways and
methods are being introduced in this field to harvest and cultivate the
best quality crops.
OBJECTIVES
 To study in depth on the importance of organic farming in the
present scenario.
 To study the impact of adopting modern technology in
agriculture.
 Designing a plan for a marginal farmer to establish a processing
unit.

SCOPE:
The study enables to have a better knowledge for a marginal farmer on
transforming from conventional farming to organic farming with regard
to social and financial concerns.

Also highlights the application of various latest inventions available to

farmers in India.

A study on OUR FOODS PVT LTD for the establishment of processing

units and marketing of food grains.

LIMITATIONS:
The study is restricted to focus only micro and small scale farmers and
also this research is limited to compare only power tiller machinery that
are available in the market.
LITERATURE REVIEW

Review of literature paves way for a clear understanding of the areas of

research already undertaken and throws light on the potential areas
which are yet to be covered. Keeping this in mind, an attempt has been
made to make a brief survey of the previous works undertaken in the
related field of the present study. It is expected that the survey of
related literature not only throws light on the issues relating to the
study but also helps the researcher to go for a well conceived and
planned approach in conducting the study. The review of literature
presented in this Chapter covers earlier research studies relating to the
nature and extent of organic farming, success stories of organic
farmers.
Purushotthom Rao, (1989) who owned 10 acres of land in the Shimoga
district took up organic farming in 1989. He raised coconut and paddy
along with several other crops in place of Areca nut which was
destroyed due to strong winds. The yield of coconut he obtained was
80 percent more than that of his conventional farming friends. The cost
of paddy cultivation incurred was 80 per cent lesser.

It has been confirmed that crop rotations and cover cropping (green
manure), typical of organic farming, reduce soil erosion, pest problems,
and pesticide use. Kundu and Pillai (1990) found that the productivity
of soil is determined by its chemical and physical as well as biological
properties. Inorganic fertilizers can take care of only the chemical
aspects of soil fertility while organic manures on the other hand are
capable of maintaining and improving biological properties of soils.
Prolonged and overall availability of smaller amounts of nutrients over
an extended period of time often contributes towards a sustained
increase in grain yields.

Frank Eyhorn et al (2005), the impact of Organic Cotton Farming on the

Livelihoods of smallholders- Evidence from the Maikal bio-Re project in
Madhya Pradesh, Central India. For that purpose, it compares farm
profile data, material and financial input /output and soil parameters of
organic and conventional farms over two cropping periods (2003-05).
The results show that organic farms achieve cotton yields that are on a
par with those in conventional farms, though nutrient inputs are
considerably lower. With less production cost and a 20 per cent organic
price premium, gross margins from cotton are thus substantially higher
than in the conventional system. Even if the crops grown in rotation
with cotton are sold without organic price premium, profits in organic
farms are higher. In the perception of most organic farmers, soil fertility
significantly improved after conversion. However the analysis of soil
fertility of parameters in soil samples from organic and conventional
cotton fields has shown only minor differences in organic matters
content and water retention. The research indicates that organic cotton
farming can be a viable option to improve incomes and reduce
vulnerability of smallholders in the tropics. To use this potential it is
important to find suitable approaches to enable marginalized farmers
managing the hurdles of conversion to the organic farming system.

Halberg technology (2006) has observed that Traditional organic

farming is labour and knowledge-intensive whereas conventional
farming is capital intensive, requiring more energy and manufactured
inputs. Organic farming methods combine scientific knowledge of
ecology and modern with traditional farming practices based on
naturally occurring biological processes. Organic farming methods are
studied in the field of agro-ecology. While conventional agriculture uses
synthetic pesticides and water-soluble synthetically purified fertilizers,
organic farmers are restricted by regulations to using natural pesticides
and fertilizers. The principal methods of organic farming include crop
rotation, green manures and compost, biological pest control, and
mechanical cultivation. These measures use the natural environment to
enhance agricultural productivity: legumes are planted to fix nitrogen
into the soil, natural insect predators are encouraged, and crops are
rotated to confuse pests and renew soil, and natural materials such as
potassium bicarbonate and mulches are used to control disease and
weeds.
While organic is fundamentally different from conventional because of
the use of carbon based fertilizers compared with highly soluble
synthetic based fertilizers and biological pest control instead of
synthetic pesticides, organic farming and large-scale conventional
farming are not entirely mutually exclusive. Many of the methods
developed for organic agriculture have been borrowed by more
conventional agriculture. For example, Integrated Pest Management is
a multifaceted strategy that uses various organic methods of pest
control whenever possible, but in conventional farming could include
synthetic pesticides only as a last resort.

IFOAM (2008) has commented that the economics of organic farming, a

subfield of agricultural economics, encompasses the entire process and
effects of organic farming in terms of human society, including social
costs, opportunity costs, unintended consequences, information
asymmetries, and economies of scale. Although the scope of economics
is broad, agricultural economics tends to focus on maximizing yields
and efficiency at the farm level. Economics takes an anthropocentric
approach to the value of the natural world: biodiversity, for example, is
considered beneficial only to the extent that it is valued by people and
increases profits. Some entities such as the European Union subsidize
organic farming, in large part because these countries want to account
for the externalities of reduced water use, reduced water
contamination, reduced soil erosion, reduced carbon emissions,
increased biodiversity, and assorted other benefits that result from
organic farming.

Arunachalam V.S (2009) a small farmer from a rural background

decided to farm and chooses to do it the ecological way. The special
features of his farm are: Integrating goat rearing with crops; preparing
panchakavya with goat products; mixing cattle urine with irrigation
water; Vermiculture in between banana trees; Mulching in sugarcane;
Single seedling plantation in rice; and Green manure preparation by
sowing 20 kinds of crop seeds.

Sundaram K.R. (2009) has been farming organically for the past five
years on 3 acres of land. The use and application of panchakavya, EM
solution, Jeevamritham have given a yield of 15 to 16 kg banana
(netharan variety) per plant. In sugarcane, he has achieved a yield of 80
tons per acre in the first crop and 68 tons in the third crop He says
dipping the young banana suckers in the above solutions will avoid
most of the pest and disease problem in the initial stage of the crop. He
normally divides his field into two equal parts, in one part he plants
banana while the other is left fallow for a season. In the next season
this land is cultivated while the just harvested land is left fallow.

National Post (2012) reported that organic farming seeks to limit the
use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. The analysis found that
organic yields are as much as 34 per cent lower for some crops than
those from comparable conventional farming practices. Particularly
good performers were fruit and oilseeds such as soybeans yielding just
3 per cent less, in ideal farming conditions, than conventionally grown
crops that benefit from chemical pest killers and nutrients, the
researchers found. The findings contradict those of earlier studies that
organic farming matched, or even exceeded, conventional yields.

At a time when agricultural lands are being converted into

commercial plots, a group of 10 dalit women have laudably done the
opposite. Turning 6,000 sqft of commercial plots in their native village
Kondakuppam into farming land, members of the Kathambam
Women’s Collective Farming Association have been growing various
vegetables, greens and fruit-bearing trees the organic way. The women
have not only made big strides in their goals promoting organic farming
among women SHGs and ensuring food security for themselves within
six months’ time, but also launched programmes for school students to
revive traditional food habits.
Following in their footsteps, members of Kalanjiam and Katharikuppam
associations have also formed a similar forum in their respective
villages and taken up organic farming. President of the Kathambam
association M Annakili said none of their association members owns
farmland, and that they had leased a plot for agricultural activity. “After
taking land on lease, we grew monocot and dicot plants in initially. The
crops were ploughed in situ (inside the soil) to convert it into fertilizer
to rejuvenate barren land and make it fertile. Now, we are harvesting
vegetables, fruits and greens from the land,” said the 49-year-old BA
graduate. The women have planted three to four varieties of banana
and mango trees along with other fruit trees in 3,000 sq ft land, while
vegetables and greens are cultivated in 2,400 sq ft. “We share the
vegetables, fruits and greens harvested from the land among us for
personal use,” she added.

Arun Lakshminarayanan (2009) is farming organically on 10 acres since

2000.He has grown 700 coconut trees, 2500 areca nut trees. The land is
fully mulched with areca nut and coconut palms. Glyricidia has been
planted to fix the free nitrogen from the atmosphere. He applies
panchakavya to the farm once in every 15 days.

Nandhakumar is practicing biodynamic farming on coconut, banana,

curry leaves, mango and sapota. Within the banana plantation is
intercropped red gram, lady’s finger, black gram, sorghum, avare (bean)
and green gram. On the farm, he rears eight Kangayam breed cows, six
Jersey cross breed cows and 95 sheep. He prepares panchakavya,
amirtha karisal, Cow pit pat (CPP) 500, 501 and fish based manure.
The foregoing overview of the literature makes it clear those opinions
about the profitability and yield increases in organic farming are divided
both among the farmers and experts, but there is a consensus on its
eco-friendly nature and inherent ability to protect human health. There
are strong views for organic farming and against the ill effects of the
conventional farming system. There are many who while approving
organic agriculture, advocate a careful approach by proceeding slowly
towards the conversion of the conventional farms into organic. The
questions about the yield and financial viability are crucial from the
point of view of farmers; but they remain unanswered to a large extent.
Though the country is endowed with a large number of resources for
organic farming, it has not made significant stride towards it, as is
evident in the literature overview.
 ORGANIC
AGRICULTURE PRACTICE
 Organic agriculture is developing rapidly and today at least 170
countries produces organic food commercially. There were 43.1 million
hectares of organic agricultural land in India including conversion areas
and with 2 million producers. The world’s organic producers are in Asia
(36%), percent followed by Africa (29%) and Europe (17%). This chapter
attempts to bring together different issues in the light of recent
developments in organic farming. It traces the history of organic
farming and reviews the global and Indian scenario with reference to
organic farming. The key issues emerging in organic farming from
literature review include yield reduction in conversion to organic farm,
soil fertility enhancement, and integration of livestock. Organic farming
is a holistic production management system which promotes and
enhances agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological
cycles and soil biological activity. It emphasizes, the use of management
practices in preference to the use of off –farm inputs, taking into
account that regional conditions require locally adapted systems. This is
accomplished by using, where possible, agronomic, biological, and
mechanical methods, as opposed to using synthetic materials, to fulfill
any specific function within the system.

DEFINITIONS
As per the definition of the USDA study team on organic farming
“organic farming is a system which avoids or largely excludes the use of
synthetic inputs (such as fertilizers, pesticides, hormones, feed
additives etc) and to the maximum extent feasible rely upon crop
rotations, crop residues, animal manures, off-farm organic waste,
mineral grade rock additives and biological system of nutrient
mobilization and plant protection”.
In another definition FAO suggested that “Organic agriculture is a
unique production management system which promotes and enhances
agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles and soil
biological activity and this is accomplished by using on-farm agronomic,
biological and mechanical methods in exclusion of all synthetic off-farm
inputs”.

Organic Agriculture in India

Since January 1994 “Sevagram Declaration” for promotion of organic

agriculture in India, organic farming has grown many folds and number
of initiatives at Government and Non-Government level has given it a
firm direction. While National Programme on Organic Production
(NPOP) defined its regulatory framework, the National Project on
Organic Farming (NPOF) has defined the promotion strategy and
provided necessary support for area expansion under certified organic
farming. Growing certified area before the implementation of NPOP
during 2001 and introduction of accreditation process for certification
agencies, there was no institutional arrangement for assessment of
organically certified area. Initial estimates during 2003-04 suggested
that approximately 42,000 ha of cultivated land were certified organic.
By 2012 India had brought more than 11.2 million ha of land under
certification. Out of this while cultivable land was approximately 1.4
million ha, remaining 8 million ha area was forest land for wild
collection. Growing awareness, increasing market demand, increasing
inclination of farmers to go organic and growing institutional support
has resulted into phenomenal growth in total certified area during the
last five years. India has also achieved the status of single largest
country in terms of total area under certified organic wild harvest
collection. With the production of more than 77,000 MT of organic
cotton lint India had achieved the status of largest organic cotton
grower in the world, with more than 50% of total world’s organic
cotton.
Agriculture plays a vital role in a developing country like India. Apart
from fulfilling the food requirement of the growing Indian population, it
also plays a role in improving economy of the country. The Green
Revolution technology adoption between 1960 to 2000 has increased
wide varieties of agricultural crop yield per hectare which increased 12-
13% food supply in developing countries. Inputs like fertilizers,
pesticides helped a lot in this regard. But in spite of this fact, food
insecurity and poverty still prevails prominently in our country. Uses of
chemical biopesticides and fertilizers have caused negative impact on
environment and increasing the health problems and many more. India
has been traditionally practicing organic agriculture but modern
agriculture practices have pushed it to walls. Vermicomposting have
positive impacts on plant growth and health and treats organic waste in
an environment friendly way.

Table 1: Major organic crops exported from India

S. No Type of Commodity Products

1 Spices
2 Plantation
3 Pulses
4 Fruits
5 Nut
6 Vegetables
7 Oil seeds
8 Others
Cardamom, black pepper, Ginger,
turmeric, nutmug, chilly, clove and
vanilla
Tea, coffee, cocoa
Red gram, black gram
Mango, banana, pine apple,
passion fruit, orange, cashew
Walnut
Okra, brinjal, onion, tomato,
potato
Sesame, castor, sunflower
Cotton, herbal extracts
Organic Farming Components

Crop rotation
Crop residue
Organic manure
Bio fertilizers
Bio pesticides
Vermi compost
AGRICULTURAL EQUIPMENTS INDUSTRY IN INDIA
INTRODUCTION
Agriculture in India is unique in its characteristics, where over 250
different crops are cultivated in its varied agro-climatic regions, unlike
25 to 30 crops grown in many of the developed nations of the world.
India with its favorable agro-climatic conditions and rich natural
resource base has become the world's largest producer across a range
of commodities. India is the largest producer of coconut, mango,
banana, milk and dairy products, cashew nuts, pulses, ginger, turmeric
and black pepper. It is also the second largest producer of rice, wheat,
sugar, cotton, fruits and vegetables.

The early agricultural mechanization in India was greatly influenced by

the technological developments in England. Horse drawn and steam-
tractor-operated equipments were imported during the later part of
the nineteenth century. The horse drawn equipments imported from
England were not suitable for bullocks and buffaloes being used in
India. These were suitably modified to suit Indian draught animals. With
the production of indigenous tractors and irrigation pumps, the use of
mechanical power in agriculture, has been showing an increasing trend.

PROGRESS OF FARM MECHANISATION IN INDIA

The progress of agricultural mechanization has been closely linked with
the overall development in production agriculture. Till 1950, very few
farmers possessed prime movers like tractors, engines and motors.
Heavy agricultural tractors and machinery were imported by
government organizations mainly for land reclamation and
development of large government farms

The picture changed quickly during the early sixties with the
introduction of high yielding varieties of wheat and other crops which
needed irrigation facilities. The rising production of food grains
resulting from the extending area under high yielding varieties could
not be handled within the normal harvesting and threshing periods. The
farmers in North India suffered heavy losses as a result of damage to
harvested wheat during the late sixties and early seventies because the
threshing of increased wheat production could not be completed
before the onset of pre-monsoon rains. Large scale adoption of
threshers operated by electric motors, engines and tractors that
followed in early seventies onwards was a result of the need to
complete threshing operation quickly. Then came the extensive use of
tractors for primary tillage and transport and the use of tractor
powered or self-propelled harvesting equipment.

PRODUCTION SCENARIO IN INDIA

The productivity of farms depends greatly on the availability and
judicious use of farm power by the farmers. Agricultural implements
and machines enable the farmers to employ the power judiciously for
production purposes. Agricultural machines increase productivity of
land and labour by meeting timeliness of farm operations and increase
work out-put per unit time. Besides its paramount contribution to the
multiple cropping and diversification of agriculture, mechanization also
enables efficient utilization of inputs such as seeds, fertilizers and
irrigation water. The production of irrigation pumps and diesel engines
started during 1930s. The manufacture of tractors and power tillers
started in 1960. Since then by the virtue of its inherent edge over the
conventional means of farming, agricultural mechanization has been
gaining popularity. The increased use of farm machines found
expansion of cropped area and cropping intensity and also helped in
diversification of agriculture from conventional crops to commercial
crops. The manufacture of agricultural machinery in the country is
carried out by village artisans, tiny units, small- scale industries and the
State Agro-Industrial Development Corporations. Production of
tractors, motors, engines and process equipment is the domain of the
organized sector.

The traditional artisans and small-scale industries rely upon own

experience; user's feedback and government owned research and
development institutions for technological support and operate from
their backyards or on road side establishments without regular utility
services. Medium and large-scale industries operate in their own
premises with sound infrastructure, usually forming a part of an
industrial estate, well established manufacturing and marketing
facilities and employ skilled manpower. Diesel engines, electric motors,
irrigation pumps, sprayers and dusters, land development machinery,
tractors, spare parts, power tillers, post harvest and processing
machinery and dairy equipments are produced in this sector. They have
professional marketing network of dealers and provide effective after
sales service. They also have in-house research and development
facilities or have joint ventures with advanced countries for technology
up gradation. India is recognized, the world over, as a leader in the
manufacture of agricultural equipment and machinery such as tractors,
combine harvesters, plant protection equipment, drip irrigation and
micro-sprinkler. Sizeable quantities of farm implements are exported to
Africa, Middle East, Asia, South America and other countries.
MAJOR AGRICULTURAL EQUIPMENTS IN INDIA
With increased cropping intensity, farmers have supplemented or
largely replaced animate power with tractors, power tillers, diesel
engines and electric motors. The growth in the electro- mechanical
power in India is evident from the sale of tractors and power tillers,
taken as an indicator of the adoption of the mechanized means of
farming. The major agricultural equipments in India are: