Ever-green Revolution is the only pathway: Dr.MS Swaminathan : 7.
On the other hand, the onus for employment still remains with the farm sector.
This explains why there is widespread poverty in the country.
There is a limit to what the farm sector can contribute particularly under conditions where only 40 per cent of the cultivated area has irrigation facilities and extreme weather events like drought and flood are becoming more frequent.
There is fortunately considerable scope for enlarging opportunities in the services sector.
To cite one example, the introduction of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (MGNREGA) has created scarcity of labour foragriculture.
This is therefore an opportune time for the technological upgradation of small farm agriculture using relevant machinery.
Agricultural mechanisation will help generate more jobs in the services sector.
Apart from ensuring timeliness of operations, mechanisation will also help attract youth in farming and reduce drudgery for women.
To be continued ...
Comments