The tools of biotechnology present an opportunity to infuse a new round of technology into Indian agriculture, which has been going through "technology fatigue" in recent period. These technologies follow from the conventional plant breeding techniques and complement them in improving crops to resist biotic and abiotic stresses, break yield barriers, and sustain yields in the face of resource degradation and climatic change. Though India has been making rapid strides in the field of biotechnology, the progress in harnessing agricultural biotechnology is rather slow largely due to the uncertainties created by campaigns by civil society groups based on ideological grounds. However, the commercialization of biotech cotton with a gene from soil bacterium Bacillus thuriengensis is a small step taken in the right direction in 2002. That has brought about a revolution in cotton production and productivity; catapulted India to the second leading position in cotton production in the world and earned foreign exchange worth more than Rs. 60000 crores in the last decade. Most importantly, it has improved the conditions of cotton farmers and accrued additional gains worth more than Rs. 75000 crores. Now is the time to move beyond cotton and replicate the success in other crops by providing the required enabling framework for the private sector, apart from enhanced investments in the public sector and public private partnerships and industry-academia linkages.
There is increasing demand for institutional reform in the agricultural sciences. This paper presents lessons from the content and directions in soil science research in India, to make a case for institutional reform in the agricultural sciences. It demonstrates how...
This report provides a synthesis of all findings and information generated through a “stocktaking” process that involved a desk study of Prolinnova documents and evaluation reports, a questionnaire to 40 staff members of international organizations in agricultural research and development (ARD),...
Agricultural production systems are a composite of philosophy, adoptability, and careful analysis of risks and rewards. The two dominant typologies include conventional and organics, while biotechnology (GM) and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) represent situational modifiers. We conducted a systematic review...
African agriculture is currently at a crossroads, at which persistent food shortages are compounded by threats from climate change. But, as this book argues, Africa can feed itself in a generation and help contribute to global food security. To achieve...
A group of researchers and industry writers have constructed a narrative of technological triumph for Bt cotton in India, based on an empirical record of superior performance compared to conventional seed. Counterclaims of Bt cotton failure are attributed to mutually...