An assessment of sustainable development through watershed schemes: A selective study
Author(s):
Raghu. C
Keywords:
Agricultural productivity, Environmental protection, Food grains, Population growth, Soil Erosion.
Abstract
India’s population, which was 121 crores as per 2011 census report, is consistently growing. As per the recent estimate, India’s population has soared to a staggering 134 crores. There is every possibility of overtaking China‘s population, which is around 141 crores, very soon. To meet the growing demand for food, the country needs to increase the production of food grains. However, the food production is increasing at a mere rate of 0.2 percent, which is not on par with the growth rate of the population in the country. To meet this demand, the best technological approaches have been adapted in terms of HYV seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, machines (tractors, tillers, threshers, and harvesters), etc. Since agriculture sector is subjected to diminishing returns to scale, further improvement in technology will not help in increasing the productivity levels. Added to this, soil erosion is a widespread environmental problem. Each year, 75 billion tons of soil is removed in the globe due to erosion with most of it from agricultural land. An average rate of soil erosion in Asia is more than 138 tonnes (ha. year) (Ananda. J and Herath, 2003). This inturn affects agricultural productivity. Thus, there is a need to explore other possibilities of increasing the agricultural production and productivity. In this process, increasing crop intensity, by utilizing the existing water resources is an important area to be explored.
Article Details
Unique Paper ID: 150132
Publication Volume & Issue: Volume 5, Issue 7
Page(s): 338 - 342
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