Eminent agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan has mooted the idea of promoting modern agricultural practices to encourage people in naxalite-infested areas to abandon guns and take to the plough.
Addressing a function organised here on Wednesday by the All India Association of ICAR Pensioners to felicitate him, Prof. Swaminathan said many of the problems in the tribal and naxalite areas could be solved by providing facilities for modern agriculture such as water harvesting, irrigation, integrated pest management, and improved post-harvest technology.
“The future belongs to nations with grains and not guns. By providing an opportunity for sustainable livelihood and ensuring better access to land, water, and other inputs for agriculture, naxalites can be encouraged to give up arms.” He mooted the idea of setting up ‘Centres for Food and Peace’ to provide technical assistance for those willing to lay down arms and take to agriculture.
Highlighting the need to promote climate-smart farming, Prof. Swaminathan proposed the establishment of gene banks, seed banks, grain banks and water banks organised and managed by local communities. “Land is a shrinking resource for agriculture and we have to produce more food from diminishing per capita land and water resources. This would imply that we need new technologies and new farm equipment and management procedures.”
Prof. Swaminathan said bio-fortified plants such as moringa, sweet potato, millets, and fruits and vegetables offered a solution to the high rate of malnutrition among women and children in India. Breeding and selection of bio-fortified plants such as iron-rich pearl millet and zinc rich rice and genetically bio-fortified crops such as golden rice and iron-rich rice were other options, he observed.
In his inaugural address, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy stressed the need to maintain the positive trend in the agricultural sector in Kerala. “Today, even the youth are taking to farming, hitech agriculture has become acceptable among farmers and many student start-ups have been launched in agriculture and allied fields.”
Agriculture Minister K.P. Mohanan; Vice Chairman, Planning Board K.M.Chandrasekhar; Director, CTCRI, S.K. Chakrabarty; and association president K.S. Pillai were among those who spoke.
