A MACRO ANALYSIS OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN INDIA

The present paper delves into the concepts and goals of sustainable agriculture in India. Sustainable agricultural development encompasses a wide range of issues viz. sustainability of agricultural production, sustainability of the rural economy, ecological and environmental sustainability within agricultural systems and sustainability of rural society. India is expected to be the most populous of the world by 2050 if the present growth rate perpetuates. In order to meet the growing needs of the expanding population, it is compelled to produce more than 210 million tonnes of food grains per year. India has not only met its domestic requirement but is also exporting to other countries. It also has a respectable buffer stock of about 40 million tonnes of food grains. The achievement of green revolution was due to the increase in yields through the increased use of high yielding variety seeds. In recent decades, demands for food quantity and quality have been increased sharply in India due to the improvement of people’s living standards and continuous economic growth. Thus, the issue of greatest concern in India’s sustainable agricultural development at present is whether agricultural production can ensure India’s food security for the future. For achieving success in
promoting sustainable agricultural development, attention must be given to land, water energy, nutrient supply, genetic diversity, pest management, systems approach and location of specific research and development.