Achieving the right to food will require India to redouble its efforts in helping farmers produce more food and other agricultural commodities from diminishing land and water resources and in the face of climate change.

In an article on Mydigitalfc.com, MS Swaminathan outlines 6 key areas of focus to safeguard the stability and sustainability of agricultural production in India.

1. Conserve and continually improve soil health.
2. Ensure irrigation security through integrated attention to harnessing rainwater, river and other surface waters, ground water, treated waste water and sea water.
3. Tailor technology and inputs to the agro-ecological and socio-economic conditions under which farmers work.
4. Provide appropriate credit and insurance support to farmers.
5. Provide assured and remunerative marketing to ensure economically viable agriculture, especially where more than 50 per cent of the populations depends on crop and animal husbandry, fisheries and agroforestry for their livelihood.
6. Rest power and economy of scale with smallholders, such as through cooperatives or producer groups.

Swaminathan argues that synergy must be created between technology and public policy. “Technology will help to ensure the ecological sustainability of the production pathway, while public policy will ensure the economic viability of farming through appropriate input and output pricing policies.”

Read the full story: Let’s celebrate year of farming