No problem will be solved with the same level of thinking that created it in the first place

-Dr Albert Einstein

Ramanjaneyulu Centre for sustainable Agriculture

AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH IN POST GREEN REVOLUTION ERA NEED FOR A PARADIGM SHIFT
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Green Revolution Paradigm

Nations self sufficiency as goal Transfer of Technology model Public Sector playing major role Input intensive Public extension Irrigation playing major role Technology transfer public to private Free technology Controlled markets Public Distribution System

Basic features
Reliance on external inputs
Chemicals, Seeds, Machines and knowledge

Genetic improvement: leading to monoculture High energy consuming: fossil fuel, chemical fertilizers, chemicals, processing, storage, transport Globalization:
Driven by an economic philosophy and strategy of international division of labor Leading to the expansion of international trade Financial incentives and market forces have been shaping research agendas and capital investments in agriculture Contribute to an expansion in the scale of production units and to ever-greater input use and capital-intensity
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Where we went wrong ?

Copied research (technology), education and extension paradigms Support systems not extended
Subsidies Regulatory system accountability

Are labour saving technologies our requirement ? In country of diversity why did we monoculture-crops, varieties and genes? Moving farmers out of agriculture ?

Total 256,913 in 16 years

Source: NCRB 1995-2010

Farm Suicide Annual Averages in select Statues

State Farmers Suicides annual average 1995-2002 Andhra Pradesh Assam Karnataka Kerala MP+Chhattisgarh Maharashtra Tamil Nadu Uttar Pradesh 1590 155 2259 1292 2304 2508 992 640 2003-2010 2301 291 2123 1071 2829 3802 866 531 +711 +135 -236 -221 +1294 +1294 =126 =109 Difference (2nd Avg-1st Avg)

West Bengal 1426 990 -436 The table only includes states who annual averages have risen of fallen by 100 farm suicides between the two periods. It also treats MP and Chhattisgh as one unit for data purposes

Farmer: most endangered species on earth

Large scale migration About 17 lakh farmers are under the condition of distress 75% farmers live on break-even or loss every year More than 3500 farmers have died in 2010 in the Vidarbha region alone 6 districts in six months In AP 2525 have committed suicides during 2010. Suicides 1 every 30 min Less than 50% deaths are officially reported as deaths due to agrarian distress women deaths and tenant farmers are not included Lives of survivors worse
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Cropping Pattern Changes in Andhra Pradesh for Selected Years

(million Hectares)

Rice Maize Other coarse Grains Total Cereals Pulses Total Foodgrains Cotton Oilseeds Total Non- Foodgrains Gross Cropped Area

1970-73 3.1 (24.76) 0.2 (2.12) 4.1 (32.73) 7.6 (59.61) 1.3 (10.79) 8.9 (70.42) 0.3 (2.47) 2.2 (17.51) 3.7 (29.57) 12.7 (100.00)

1987-90 3.9 (30.65) 0.3 (2.33) 2.1 (16.47) 6.3 (49.46) 1.5 (11.85) 7.8 (61.31) 0.6 (4.8) 3.8 (24.74) 4.9 (38.69) 12.8 (100.00)

2004-07 3.6 (28.54) 0.7 (5.53) 0.6 (5.05) 5.6 (39.13) 1.8 (14.39) 6.9 (53.52) 1.0 (8.23) 2.6 (20.91) 5.9 (46.94) 12.8 (100.00)

2009-11 4.3 (31.15) 0.8 (6.16) 0.3 (2.21) 5.6 (40.57) 1.7 (12.3) 7.4 (53.6) 1.1 (8.2) 2.7 (19.5) 4.7 (34.05) 13.8 (100.00)

Source: DES. AP Govt

Prices to Farmers during 2010-11 and 2011-12

Crop Cotton Turmeric Chillies Redgram Blackgram Bajra Jowar Onion Sweet Organge 2010-11 Rs/Quintal 2011-12 Rs/Quintal 6500 3600 14000 4000 12000 5500 5000 3500 5200 3500 4000 2000 2500 1800 16000 2500 75000 60000

Compiled from Newspapers

Huge Ecological Costs

Bhopal The worst tragedy with pesticide industry

Years Fertiliser Subsidy

2005-06 18299

2006-07 25952

2007-08

2008-09 119772* 40338 (estimated)

Years Fertiliser Subsidy

2005-06 18299

2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 25952 40338 119772 100000

2011-12

*Source : Department of Fertilisers, Min of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Govt of India

60000 100000 In lakh crores

Government introduced Nutrient based Subsidy and permitted industry to increase the prices A bag of DAP which was Rs. 480/bag of 50 kg in June 2010 reached Rs. 1050/bag of 50 kg in January 2012

Life in queues

Environmental concerns
Nitrates in water Decreasing groundwater levels Salinisation of lands Pesticide residues in food, water, milk and blood Climate change: global warming, climate variability Millions of rural producers around the world, especially the poorest households, have been bypassed by input-driven modern technologies
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Post Green Revolution: dominant paradigm

GM intensive Monoculture-narrowing genetic base Proprietary technologies-genes, methodologies even species are patented Monopoly-Decreasing role of public research and extension, agenda mostly driven by funding agencies Agri-input dealers in new Avathar Agri-clinics

Buttoday research priorities are

Pest management research or pesticide research? GM crops Monoculture of genes Hybrids in all crops, other crops have been abandoned NATP-hybrid main driver NAIP-GM main driver Indo US Knowledge initiative

GM crops and foods

Key issues

Relevance of GM crops Biosafety issues IPRs andMarket monopoly Conflicts of interests and scandals

Studies on NPM vs/Bt cotton Documentary evidences on Violations of regulations in field trials, Illegal GM food crop field trials First reports on Bronze wilt, Tobacco Streak Virus, Mealybug Evidences on sheep death Studies on Environmental Risk Assessment and Socio Economic Impacts

http://www.indiagminfo.org

Bt cotton yields in AP

since 2007, yields in AP have dropped back to below where they were before farmers started adopting Bt cotton.
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Cotton yields in India

Year Area in lakh hectares Production in lakh bales of 170 kgs 34.30 60.12 56.64 78.00 117.00 140.00 158.00 136.00 179.00 243.00 241.00 280.00 307.00 290.00 305.00 339.00 345.00
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Yield kgs per hectare 99 134 127 169 267 278 308 302 399 470 472 521 554 524 503 517 481

1950-51 58.82 1960-61 76.10 1970-71 76.05 1980-81 78.23 1990-91 74.39 2000-01 85.76 2001-02 87.30 2002-03 76.67 2003-04 76.30 2004-05 87.86 2005-06 86.77 2006-07 91.44 2007-08 94.14 2008-09 94.06 2009-10 103.10 2010-11 111.42 2011-12 121.91 Source: Cotton Advisory Board

Cotton: out of control

No public sector seeds in the market In AP, TN and Karnataka official figures are zero CICR has no say UAS, Dharwar could not release its GM cotton hybrids Bt Bikeneri Narma and Bt NH-44 forced to withdraw 80 % area is under hybrids with narrow genetic base Monoculturing genes

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NARS-the lost empire

Crops in pipeline-bt rice, bt brinjal, bt . No IPR literacy
UAS dharwar, TNAU and CICR cases

ABSP-II
UAS dharwar, TNAU

Regulatory role
Bt bhendi case in AP Bt brinjal trials in AICRP vegetables

The shift
innovating systems that support decentralisation, diversity and democracy rather than centralisation, uniformity and control
culture of experimentation and learning, partnering with a wide range of actors, ability to contextualize and continuously adapt technologies to suit varied user demands, efforts at influencing the institutions and policies among other actors to promote innovation, and participation in wide sector related networks and extensive use of networks.
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Energy use going to be critical

Large-scale mechanized production will become more expensive, and this will make more labor-intensive methods relatively more profitable as a result. Fertilizer and agrochemical prices are also likely to rise, making our current inputintensive agriculture less profitable, and for many farmers not practical. International trade in agricultural commodities will become less economic because of higher costs of transportation, especially adverse for bulky, low-value commodities. This means globalized solutions to maintaining food security will become less supportable. Other sources of alternative energy may become available. But there should be some burden of proof, with evidence of meaningful public and private investment, that these other energy sources will actually become available to maintain high-input agriculture. Subsidization of energy and agricultural inputs by governments or donor agencies, which fueled the spread of Green Revolution technologies, is probably an obsolete strategy. There is neither the political will nor fiscal capacity to return to such policies
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Adapting to changing climate

Climate change is going to be critical Paddy yields have fallen by more than 10 % in the last one decade Rainfall distribution is changed and temperatures are increasing Situation specific cropping systems and well adapted varieties are needed GM crops are more vulnerable-AP and Vidharba reports
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GE regulation: who regulates whom?

Failed to regulate pesticides and seeds How do they conduct independent, pro-poor biotech research in the midst of existing IPR regimes controlled by MNCs and also given that private sector funding of many public research centers and universities is increasingly by biasing the research agenda? How will public organizations deal with the royalties issues given that all complementary (markers, vectors etc.) technologies are patented? How can technology be made available to poor? How will they perform the regulatory functions without serious conflicts of interest?
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Sustainable Agriculture: in harmony with nature

Local Resources: Seeds, soils, crops Knowledge and skills of Ecological methods of farming like Non Pesticidal Management, Soil health and Productivity, Seed banks Institutional Systems for sustaining the initiatives Increasing control over the post harvest management, processing and marketing Social and equity concerns Improving agriculture based livelihoods

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New partner ships

Farmers as active partners Supplementing the farmers knowledge Knowledge as the main driver Farmers gaining control over their resources

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Post Green Revolution: new ecological paradigm

New science of ecological farming Local Resource based technologies

Open source Knowledge intensive Less energy intensive Low capital intensive

Diversity based cropping systems Technology generation at different nodes Horizontal scaling up Community managed institutions and support systems New opportunities for resource poor areas, resource poor farmers and agril. workers

Ecological farming: shaping up

Organic movement
Commercial, export oriented Sustainable, domestic market oriented

Large scale community based initiatives- CMSA in AP Individuals, organizations involved

Subash Palekar, Nammalwar, Manohar Parchure, Bhasker Save NGOs across the states

9 states came with organic farming policy Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture announced
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Contact for further information

Turning the tide if you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a closed room with a mosquito African Proverb

Centre for Sustainable Agriculture http://www.csa-india.org http://www.indiagminfo.org http://www.agrariancrisis.wordpress.com csa@csa-india.org Ph. 040-27017735, 27014302