DEPARTMENT OF AGRONOMY,

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE,
PARBHANI
POST GRADUATE SEMINAR

Speaker : KADAM S.B. CourseNo: Agro. -

Degree :M. Sc. (Agri.)student Date : 22. 12. 2008
Reg. No. : 03M/07A Day :Monday

Topic: CROP DIVERSIFICATION: For sustainable agriculture.

Crop intensification and crop diversification are the budge words in

agricultural scenario at the national and international level. During the period of green
revolution when there was a need of enhancing total food grain production, emphasis
was given on increasing the cropping intensity and crop productivity but in long term,
this approach digressed from the principles of crop production where the basics of
crop rotation and crop sequences play an important role.
Research findings suggest that crops or enterprises get diversified in one or
other way, even without any scientific recommendations (Sharma et al., 2002).
Agriculture and crop diversification is now almost a normal feature of stable
agriculture and progressive farm management in most of the extensive agricultural
parts of the world (Joshi et al., 2004).
Therefore, in changing agricultural scenario, crop diversification is one of the
ways towards meeting challenges of food, environmental and economic security of
nation and achieving the sustainable agricultural development.
The area under agronomical crops viz. jowar, bajra, small millets, summer
groundnut, and tobacco are decreased and the area under pulses, sesamum, cotton and
wheat has increased. The area under horticultural crops such as banana, potato, cumin,
garlic and onion are increased where as in chilli area decreased. (Anno. 1995-2004).

CONCEPT OF CROP DIVERSIFICATION

1) A shift of a crop cropping system to another crop or cropping system. 2)
Use of resources in best possible way by changing and modifying the degree, trend
and spatial and time options of crop/cropping activities.
3) A shift from less profitable and sustainable crop or cropping system to more
profitable and sustainable crop/cropping system.

NEED OF CROP DIVERSIFICATION

1) For raising farm income. 2) Sustainable production and income.
3) Sustainability of Production Systems. 4) Food and nutrient security.
5) Promotion of export. 6) Employment generation. 7) Poverty alleviation. 8)
Judicious use of land and water resources. 9) Reduction in environmental pollution.
CONCLUSION
Crop diversification or crop shift is a new paradigm of sustainable agriculture.
Crop diversification is not only a shift from traditional and less remunerative crop(s)
to more remunerative crop(s) but it is a demand driven, need based situation specific
and national goal seeking continuous and dynamic concept and involves spatial,
temporal, value addition and resource complementary approaches. However, crop
substitution and addition of more crops in existing cropping system has been the
major approach of diversification in India. The nature of crop diversification is has
been mainly from low value coarse cereals to high value oilseeds and other food
grains.

REFERENCES:
Anonymous (1995-2004). Directorate of Agriculture, Gandhinagar, Gujarat
state.
Gopalappa D.V. (1996). Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics. Vol. 51,
No. 3, July-Sep.
Joshi, P.K., Gulati, Ashok, Bhrithai, P.S. and Tewari, L. (2004). Economic and
political weekly, June 12, pp. 2457-2466.
Pandey V.K. and Sharma K.C. (1996). Indian Journal of Agricultural
Economics. Vol. 51, No.4, Oct.-Dec.
Sharma S.K., Rathore P.S. and Tiwari S. (2002). ICAR Winter School: 24th
Nov.-14th December.
Shiyani R.L. and Pandya H.R. (1998). Indian Journal of Agricultural
Economics. Vol. 53, No.4, Oct.-Dec.

Thank you