India’s Agrifood System Evolution: Beyond the Green Revolution

India's farm sector growth post-2015 shows improved yields and diversification, driven by sustainability and tech. This shift moves beyond Green Revolution strategies, focusing on broader commodity growth and farmer incomes.

Stages of India’s Agrifood System Transformation

The yearly development price of rice yield enhanced from 1.6 percent during 1996-2014 to 2.1 percent throughout 2015-2024; that of wheat increased from 1.1 per cent to 2.0 per cent, and maize from 2.7 percent to 3.4 per cent.

The paper claimed that maintaining this post-2015 average development of 4.5 percent in the coming years will need gradually realigning Green Revolution-era motivations– specifically input aids and cost support– with the arising top priorities of source preservation, environment durability and sustainability, while boosting farming efficiency, food safety and security and farmers’ incomes.

Drivers of Post-2015 Agricultural Growth

Through from 2015 onwards, when development averaged more than 4.5 per cent, the paper claimed diversity stayed a vital resource of farming growth; however, expanding environmental and source stress connected with cereal augmentation demanded expanding the farming policy structure.

India’s farm market growth post-2015 has actually transcended the levels seen promptly after the Environment-friendly Change, greatly as a result of technological innovations and a growing emphasis on sustainability, making it extra broad-based than in the past, according to a new paper released in the latest edition of The Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences (IJAS).

“Unlike the preceding phase, farming growth throughout this phase (blog post 2015 onwards) arised from both increased developments in grain return and the quick development of high-value agriculture, making farming development a lot more broad-based,” the paper stated.

Shifting Policy Priorities for Sustainable Farming

In the first stage, from 1967-1995, farming growth was driven by technology-led cereal rise, the paper stated; from 1996-2014, it was driven by demand-led diversity; and from 2015 onwards, it has actually been driven by sustainability-led diversity.

The paper, written by Dr Mangi Lal Jat, Director General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR); Pratap Singh Birthal, Distinguished Other, Study and Info System for Developing Countries (RIS); and Sedithippa Janarthanan Balaji, Professor, Institute of Economic Development (IEG), titled ‘Beyond the Environment-friendly Transformation: Unwinding brand-new characteristics of India’s agrifood system makeover’, divided the nation’s agrifood system journey since the Environment-friendly Revolution into 3 unique stages.

“The perseverance of incentives, specifically aids for fertilisers and electrical power for groundwater pumping and the purchase of rice and wheat at MSPs, urged the expansion of rice and wheat farming at the expenditure of nutrient-rich crops, specifically pulses, millets, and oilseeds, while constraining diversification towards higher-value chopping,” the paper said.

“The searchings for show that agricultural growth, which stayed at around 3 percent throughout the initial two stages (1967-1995) and (1996-2014), accelerated to about 4.5 per cent in the most recent stage (2015 onwards). The composition of development likewise changed significantly: grains dominated the first phase, gardening and livestock obtained importance in the second stage, and because 2015, development has actually become much more broad-based throughout major commodities, sustained by technical developments and growing plan focus on sustainability and strength,” it said.