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.本研究深入探讨了印度可持续农业的概念与发展目标。可持续农业发展涵盖多维度议题，即农业生产可持续性、农村经济可持续性、农业系统内部的生态与环境可持续性，以及农村社会可持续性。若当前人口增速持续，预计印度将于2050年成为全球人口最多的国家。为满足不断增长的人口的日益攀升的需求，印度每年需产出超过2.1亿吨粮食谷物。印度不仅已满足国内粮食需求，还实现了粮食出口，同时拥有约4000万吨的可观粮食储备。绿色革命（Green Revolution）的成功，得益于通过扩大高产良种使用规模实现的单产提升。近数十年来，随着印度民众生活水平提升与经济持续增长，社会对粮食数量与质量的需求急剧攀升。因此，当前印度可持续农业发展最受关注的核心议题，便是农业生产能否保障印度未来的粮食安全。为推动可持续农业发展取得实效，需重点关注土地、水资源与能源、养分供给、遗传多样性、病虫害防治、系统研究方法，以及特定研发项目的布局。