Agriculture in the Environment:Is climate resilient rainfed agriculture possible?

1. Agriculture in the Environment:
Is climate resilient rainfed
agriculture possible?
UNDMT-MoEF&CC Workshop
Yes, with
-An enabling state
-An area approach
-Decentralized iterative innovation capacities
16 Oct 2014 R.S.Raina, CSIR-NISTADS and
RRA Network

2. The Economic Survey 2014, Summary-
CHAPTER 12: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT & CLIMATE
16 Oct 2014 R.S.Raina, CSIR-NISTADS and
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CHANGE
• · Human- induced Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are
growing and are chiefly responsible for climate change.
• · The world is not on track for limiting increase in global
average temperature to below 2◦C, above pre-industrial levels. GHG
emissions grew on average 2.2 per cent per year between 2000 and
2010, compared to 1.3 per cent per year between 1970 and 2000.
• · There is immense pressure on governments to act through
two new agreements on climate change and sustainable
development, both of which will be global frameworks for action to
be finalized next year.
• · The cumulative costs of India’s low carbon strategies have
been estimated at around USD 834 billion at 2011 prices, between
2010 and 2030.

3. Sustainable Climate Resilient
Agriculture Demands …
• Capacities to address persistent problems –
- the Environment/NRs
- Energy
- Food/Health
- Poverty/Unemployment
- Fiscal/ Governance
• Capacities to address emerging problems – -
Climate change, new markets, trade ,
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4. Major debates in Indian
agriculture today
• GMOs – pros and cons
• Hunger and malnutrition
• Chemical fertilizers – subsidies vs complementary
soil health investments
• Pesticides – ban specific formulations/no-pesticide
• Prices – markets vs. state fixed prices
• Food supply – universal PDS vs. targeted BPL
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distribution
• Ownership - Private vs. public sector
• Pollution – payment vs. punitive/preventive action
• Energy – industrial appropriation and substitution
• Gender – no. of women vs. gender relationships

5. 16 Oct 2014 R.S.Raina, CSIR-NISTADS and
RRA Network 22-08-2013 ResRA- RRA Network
The Story of
Rainfed
Areas!!
What is the relevant
framework for
development of rainfed
areas?

6. Supply syndrome – Paradigm 1
• Agricultural production programmes – DoAC,
DoAH, IFPRI, State Departments,
• S&T application in programmes – ICAR –
CRIDA/ CAZRI, SAUs, ICRISAT, ICARDA,
• Intermediary agencies – NABARD, Irrigation
departments, APMC, PACS, ..
• Industry for input supply – Chemicals - FAI,
Syngenta, Mahyco- Monsanto,
• Famers associations – like BKU, …..(demanding
16 Oct 2014 R.S.Raina, CSIR-NISTADS and
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MSP, subsidies,

7. Approach – The New Agriculture
Strategy (1972)
• Surpluses through modern technology
applications
• To diffuse technologies generated by
research
• Through schemes, programmes –
designed for agricultural extension
• Uniform target and control mechanisms in
diverse contexts
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8. Production investments dominate
and S&T is limited
• During 1990-2009 agricultural R&D received
less than 0.4 % of the Agrl GDP
• Input subsidies alone – 8-11 % of agricultural
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GDP
• Input subsidies account for 88 % of the total plan
outlay of agriculture, irrigation and rural
development (Vaidyanathan, 2010)
• Fertilizer subsidy 2012-13 - Rs. 90,000 crores
• Significant stagnation in incremental response to
input use, and growth rates of rice-wheat
production (ibid, Bhalla and Singh, 2010)

9. Therefore, does not need a
POLICY!
The myth- National Agriculture Policy
(2000)!
Compared to Policy for
• Science (1958), Technology (1983), S&T (2003)
• Industry – Bombay Plan (1948), IDR Act (1951),
Industrial policy resolution (1956) (1964,1969,
1970), Industrial Policy Statement (1973, 1977,
1980, 1991……2004, 2006)
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RRA Network

10. Lopsided Public investments
(1997-98 to 2011-12)
rainfed agriculture vs. irrigated agriculture(Source: estimated by CBGA)
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11. The Enabling State –
Paradigm 2
• From farmers as producers to farmers as agro-ecosystem
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managers
• From Central to Decentralized Systems of knowledge,
policy and practice
• From technology generation and diffusion to enabling
lasting and evolving (agro-ecosystem specific) capacities
• From input supply to input market strengthening
• From export/FDI orientation to domestic markets,
investments, prosperity

12. Sustainable Development – does challenge the
mainstream
1. Productivity : measured in a singular product vs. outputs of a complex
system , and productivity enhancing vs. risk reducing
2. Efficiency : (technical and economic) measured in terms of output per
unit external inputs – water or fertilizers vs. cumulative value and
efficiency of internal/farm inputs
3. Intensive (as against extensive) : individual crop or input intensity vs.
crops or crop-livestock systems mutual dependence/gains
4. Specialized (as against integrated): mono-crop vs mixed and multiple
crops – diversified and highly location specific
5. Private (as against commons): owner operated vs. collective uses for
sustaining ecosystem functions, agricultural productivity, feed/fodder
supply etc.
6. Input centric (as against knowledge centric): Production gains in
response to input (technology) supply vs. contextual knowledge and
management capacities (including input management)
7. Industrial appropriation (as against local/ecological): Industrial inputs
production and supply vs. farm based or local networks of input production
and distribution
8. Market and non-market drivers – exclusive pricing mechanisms for
selected commodities vs. lack of valuation of ecological and social capital
16 Oct 2014 R.S.Raina, CSIR-NISTADS and
RRA network, India
RRA Network

13. Policy and Investments for
Sustainable Agriculture
• Need a paradigm shift
• Is beginning in the state governments
• Many examples of niche socio-technological
systems + successes
• Sustainable alternatives (CSOs, Co-ops,
Farmers groups, Private sector) and
opportunities to invest differently exist
• Willingness to learn and change is missing.
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14. The State and Civil Society for
Climate Resilient Agriculture
• Where the State is an Enabling State…
• Where there is a clear national policy for
agriculture…”climate smart”
• Where the decentralized innovation
capacities will be built – with CSO, local
governments, rooted capital and the
State’s public investments and policies
--- attempts to build enabling climate
resilient productive rainfed agriculture
16 Oct 2014 R.S.Raina, CSIR-NISTADS and
RRA Network

15. The National Rainfed Farming
Programme – Block level pilots
• Recommended by the WG on NRM and
RF (Planning Commission, 2011)
• Included in the XII Five Year Plan
(Planning Commission, 2012) – NMSA (FAO,
CRIDA – Workshop)
• Approved by the EFC – guidelines for
RAD, OFWM, SHM, CCSAMMN
• 28 Blocks – with scope to expand to more
blocks if State Governments want to.
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16. Dilemmas..
• Combining bio-physical with socio-ecological
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historical
(ICRISAT’s classification vs. early CRIDA typologies)
• Central schemes to State- District – Block level
governance, investments, interventions,
• Policy –Knowledge- Practice – Another Great leap?
(punctuated equilibrium): distinct break with the past, bringing a
redefinition of the issue (here food self sufficiency and food security), new
actors, structures and rules, generated both scientific and emotional (political)
support for the change or re -framing of the problem (Baumgartner and Jones,
1993, 2002).
• Epistemology of the state (supply syndrome or
enabling state?), science, natural resources,
democracy.