Factors That Have Contributed to The Agriculture Sector in India

Since independence, Indian agriculture has seen a tremendous change. Going through various highs and lows, the agriculture sector has been the most critical measure of economic stability since independence.

Constructive agricultural reforms like abolishing the zamindari system finally give the right to own the land to the actual cultivators and not the zamindars who merely owned the massive lands. This was a British-era law that needed to be abolished. This helped to lead to the increase in the production, forming of cooperative societies that provided quality seeds and necessary fertilizers to farmers at a reasonable price, passing of the land ceiling act, and biggest of all, the implementation of the green revolution, were some of the reforms enacted by the Indian Government for the upliftment of agriculture in India.

Still, there is much to do to boost the overall agricultural contribution towards India's gross domestic product. Still, here in this article, we will talk about the contributions that have been made to make agriculture strong enough.

Current Status of Agriculture in India

India is an agricultural economy. Agriculture and the allied activities associated with it act as the primary source of livelihood for more than 60% population of rural India. It provides employment to approximately 52% of labour. It's contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is approximately around 18%. Despite steady growth, agriculture hasn't been developed yet due to unavoidable reasons like the fundamental problems faced by farmers in their day-to-day farming activities. Farmers are the most affected by the pests, as they still use the traditional method, the emptying groundwater resources, unaware of soil analysis, and crop examination illiteracy and unawareness about their nutrient content, mis planning for the cultivation, weather and environmental calamities, natural calamities and water scarcity and its management are few of the issues farmers face on a daily basis.

Factors that have contributed towards agricultural growth

Here we will take a look at the factors that have contributed to the hitherto development of agriculture.

Irrigation System

An irrigation system was gradually developed in India. Dams, wells, massive pipelines, water motors were introduced in the farming sector to boost productivity by protecting the farmyard, plants, and trees from inadequate watering and drought. A well-designed and planned system has ensured that the plants get the proper amount of water to flourish. 

Infrastructure

Infrastructure like roads, large storage houses, industries, markets have helped the easy transportation of crops and final goods store the surplus in godowns to protect them from unpredictable weather conditions, and industries to manufacture the raw material transported straight from the fields. As you can see, these things are interlinked and together contributed to the agriculture sector building. The distance between the field and the market determines transportation costs; hence, agricultural crops like vegetables. Are grown near the market.

Tractor

Farm Tractors were introduced in Indian during the 1950s. But the production was too slow; until 1991, economic reforms initiated by the Government helped change the face of manufacturing, and by the late 1990s, production approached 270,000 per year. Post-1990s, the Indian industries developed much within the country, reaching India's southern and eastern parts. Now India has almost 29% of the total tractor population around the world.

Tractors have been the backbone of agricultural growth in India. Famers were able to increase their yield and production.

Climate

Climate has a critical role that dominates the agriculture sector. Crops require sufficient heat and moisture for their growth. India has favorable climatic conditions for farming; hence, agriculture is successfully done in India as the temperature is high throughout the year.

Government Reforms

Land reforms, Agricultural Price Commission, New agricultural strategy, Investment in research & extension services, Provision of credit facilities, Improving rural infrastructure, Introducing modern farming and modern techniques have helped agricultural growth in India. The Government policies have also influenced agricultural land use by restricting the cultivation of a crop or forcing the farmers to grow a particular crop, e.g., area under sugarcane and oilseeds cultivation has increased in India because of greater emphasis put by the Government on these crops.

Capital

Substantial capital investments and financial subsidies have also contributed to the upliftment of farmers. Purchase of machinery, fertilizers, pesticides, and high-yielding variety seeds require plenty of money. The way the scientific and technological aspects have developed has significantly impacted agriculture. Farmers, using primitive methods, obtain poor yields. But on the other hand, farmers are using modern farm technology in fertilizers, pesticides, machinery, high-yielding variety seeds, etc. The farm yields are high.

Human Resources

A sufficient number of human resources determines the character and type of agriculture. Intensive cultivation requires a regular supply of low-priced labour. Availability of low-priced laborers but efficient in performance is essential for cultivating crops like rice, tea, cotton, and rubber. Thus, the factor of availability of labour is also vital in agriculture.

Fertile Soils

Nutrient-enriched soils are another critical physical factor that affects agriculture. Soils differ with respect to their physical and chemical composition. Soils may be acceptable for immediate cultivation or coarse, porous or non-porous, which further needs to be prepared for cultivation. Generally, finely powdered soils like loam or silt are fertile, but alluvial soils are the best and widely found in almost all regions in India. The chemical composition and the nutrient level of the soil determine its productivity.

Solution

Indian agriculture is developing consistently but at a too slow pace. This pace needs to be boosted with directive measures and robust implementation. For this to happen, farmers in India should be empowered. They should be provided with the latest machinery, advanced technologies, well-equipped farm tractors, loan, and financial assistance, properly developed infrastructure, and so on. GPS systems, Artificial intelligence should be promoted in the agricultural sector too.

With rising self-sufficiency in food production, agriculture and agricultural production prospects are pretty good.

With few technical measures, India can achieve massive success in the field. The agricultural sector's future is bright if good initiatives are commenced like cloud computing, combining tractor services for ploughing, and sowing seeds to use sensors and artificial intelligence for precision farming. 

The agriculture sector should use digital tools to benefit small and marginal farmers.

Conclusion 

India has come a long way now, and so has the agricultural sector. 

Several farmer issues still need to be addressed even after 74 years of independence. Despite innovative measures and policies for uplifting the agricultural sector's performance, few discrepancies are yet to be resolved.