Chandrayaan-3’s successful landing on the Moon, and this quarter’s (Q1FY24) GDP growth rate of 7.8%, will certainly bolster India’s image at the upcoming G20 summit meeting scheduled on September 9-10, 2023. India can showcase not only its scientific prowess in space technologies but also its management of the economy that is clocking the highest growth rate among G20 countries for two successive years. This is surely going to be lauded by many, and prime minister Narendra Modi is likely to announce India’s emergence on the global stage during this Amrit Kaal up to 2047, making science and economy deliver for humanity under the philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ or ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’.
The question before us is: How can India with its G20 presidency walk the talk on benefiting the masses in the Global South, for whom food and nutritional security is still a challenge, and one that is exacerbated by climate change. The likely answer to this question is embedded in the Deccan High-Level Principles as outlined in the ‘Outcome Document and Chair’s Summary” of the Agriculture Working Group (AWG) of the G20 nations held during June 15-17, 2023, in Hyderabad. The Deccan High-Level Principles are: (i) Facilitate Humanitarian Assistance to Countries and Populations in Vulnerable Situations, (ii) Enhance Availability and Access to Nutritious Food and Strengthen Food Safety Nets, (iii) Strengthen Policies and Collaborative Actions for Climate-Resilient and Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems, (iv) Strengthen Resilience and Inclusivity in Agriculture and Food Value Chains, (v) Promote the One Health Approach, (vi) Accelerate Innovation and the Use of Digital Technology and (vii) Scale-Up Responsible Public and Private Investments in Agriculture.
All these are in the right direction. But implementing these in a time-bound manner remains a challenge. From where the finance will come to achieve all these objectives remains an open question.
In any case, the AWG of the G20 highlighted priority areas to encourage diversification in agriculture, promoting sustainable agriculture, and channelling financial resources towards environmentally-conscious and climate-resilient farming. This involves adopting climate-smart farming practices and precision technologies for agricultural production that can withstand climate fluctuations.
If India can demonstrate the application of precision technologies in space, with Chandrayaan-3 involving a fraction of the cost that US would incur for the same feat, why can’t it use those technologies in agriculture to overcome challenges of extreme weather events, and share these technologies with the Global South? We believe it is quite feasible and can be done in a cost-effective manner, provided we prioritise it and have a time-bound action plan. The ultimate goal is to enhance the efficiency and resilience of agri-value chains and promote digitalisation to catalyse agricultural transformation. This includes establishing standardised agricultural data platforms as digital public goods and harnessing novel digital technologies to revolutionise the agri-food sector. From sensor-equipped drips to drones to LEOs (Low-Earth Orbit satellites), there are many technologies that can be used in Indian agriculture to get “more from less”, saving the planet’s scarce resources.
The AWG’s proceedings also highlight the need to promote food and nutritional security via higher investment in agri-R&D, especially bio-fortification. Encouraging research in bio-fortification and disseminating information on fortified crop varieties to farmers is key to achieving nutritional security. ICAR scientists have already demonstrated that even basic staple crops such as wheat, rice, maize, and millets, can be bio-fortified with enhanced iron, zinc, and even anti-oxidants. ICAR has created 87 varieties of climate-resistant and nutritious crops. These crops include rice (8), wheat (28), maize (14), pearl millet (9), finger millet (3), small millet (1), lentil (2), groundnut (2), linseed (1), mustard (6), soybean (5), cauliflower (1), potato (2), sweet potato (2), greater yam (2), and pomegranate (1), which were developed through collaboration with national and international organisations. However, the dissemination of this research to Global South is equally important for India to prioritise. In India, PM had released zinc-rich rice and wheat, which can be shared with the Global South. Bio-fortification is more cost effective than supplementing rice with say iron in our public distribution system. But India is still spending only 0.48% of agri-GDP on agri-R&D—this needs to be doubled if India is to play the role of a leader.
The AWG also highlights the “significance of strengthening a rules-based, open, predictable, transparent, non-discriminatory, inclusive, equitable and sustainable multilateral trading system”. It also emphasises working together to improve our food systems by strengthening local, regional, and international agri-food value chains. This can lead to affordable and accessible food, agricultural inputs, and products. A sustainable multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core, can increase market predictability and boost business confidence.
India would surely like to bring millets to the fore, even to the dining table of G-20 members. But much more product innovation and dissemination is needed to make it a part of global cuisine, akin to, say, quinoa.
Is it possible for India to turn this aspirational framework into a reality at home? The answer lies in re-thinking its agri-policies to prioritise the well-being of people and the planet. Current policies of open-ended and assured procurement with Minimum Support Price (MSP) for, say, paddy and wheat, coupled with massive subsidies on fertilisers, power, and irrigation, etc , have caused severe damage to our natural resources, especially soil, water, air, and biodiversity (SWAB). We need to re-purpose agri-policies to a more environmentally sustainable and nutritious food system. Can G20 countries come up with a model and time frame to make agriculture less damaging to the planet? So far, India has not shown any major move in this direction, nor have the US and China. But now time is running out and G 20 needs to work closer, faster, and smarter with demonstrable results by 2030 to feed this world and also save the planet, by making it green and clean.
By Ashok Gulati & Purvi Thangaraj
https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/agriculture-for-the-planet-g20-must-orient-farm-policies-towards-sustainability-and-nutritional-security/3231737/
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