V0- Promoting youth engagement and employment in Agriculture and Food Systems: Suggestions or Proposals
Dr. S. Jeevananda Reddy
“A food system includes all processes and infrastructure involved in feeding a population: growing, processing, packaging, transporting, marketing, consumption, and disposal of food and food-related items. It also includes the input needed and output generated at each of these steps.”
Theoretical exercises lead nowhere in answering issues affecting youth engagement and employment in Agriculture and Food Systems (AFS). This needs to take in to account practical issues such as:
Existing and changing AFS scenarios of states and central governments;
Issues pertaining to interactions of multinational companies/local business houses with governments with reference to AFS;
Issues related to interactions of black-marketers in AFS with governments;
Issues pertaining to governments policies of imports and exports;
Issues of local food processing sector versus role of governments;
Issues on storage & transport facilities; etc. versus role of governments & private bodies;
Local/regional/national weather and climate scenarios in terms AFS;
I am here with present in brief relating to these issues with practical examples.
General
Under traditional system of Agriculture Animal Husbandry was part in which youth was a part of agriculture and food systems as the entire family used to participate. With the population growth-urban growth slowly this system of youth participation in family based agriculture activities were affected. This was severely affected with chemical input technology – the so-called green revolution technology [though in reality it is not green but it is blue]. This is primarily a mono crop system and thus slowly animal husbandry was weakened under agriculture. They varied from country to country, region to region within the country based on the availability of natural resources and weather & climate soil conditions.
Agriculture Systems
For example in India, states and central governments followed their own approaches as part of vote bank politics wherein incentives/populistic schemes played major role. Centre played major role in providing input subsidies and food subsidies. With all these 30-40% of food produced is going as waste. Multinational companies and local black-marketers have been thriving. Multinational companies are dumping illegally seeds that are affecting the local seeds.
Now, there is a severe fight between central government and farmers on the three Agic Bills. As the present central government is favouring privatize-corporatize everything that are functioning well. In agri sector with around 65-70 % of rural population were engaged in agriculture [directly & indirectly – more youth engaged in this sector]. When Agri Bills say “anywhere you can sell to anybody”, which means bills not only dumped minimum support price (MSP) but also automatically indirectly follows that no government role in procurement. When Agri Bills say “contract farming”, means agri bills have not only dumped MSP but also automatically no procurement by government. These not only affect farmers but also all citizens of India.
Also the present central government is encouraging multinational seed corporates to grow Genetically Modified (GM) Food Crops hitherto this was not permitted in India. Once this formalizes, automatically Indian markets will be flooded with GM food imports.
All these factors in an interactive way rural employment in agri sector will be drastically come down. Here youth are the main victims. They have to move to urban areas. The present day governments are encouraging real estate in urban areas by killing environment – creating environmental degradation with severe urban flooding.
processing industry at village/mandal levels based on the local production systems help creation of employment opportunities to youth instead of migrating to urban areas. Under corporate/contract farming this is a big question but under cooperative farming that links agriculture with animal husbandry similar to traditional agriculture; under organic inputs provide better employment opportunities. However multinational companies black-marketers pressurising governments not to encourage such system.
Weather & Climate
Weather and climate play major role in Agriculture. They vary with country to country, region/state to region/state with in a country; location to location within the region/state. Before making any attempt to come up with policies, it must be mandated to make this clear. In fact I made such studies for Mozambique and Ethiopia. Some of these reports are now available online – some western organizations have created them on line.
Tropics where majority of developing countries are located temperature is not an important factor in agriculture. UN agencies have been dumping the concept of global warming and harming the agriculture sector in those countries. The concept of global warming is misleading climate change and is helping to pocket money by some institutions, organizations, individuals. In tropical warm countries crops/varieties have been selective for the season. In middle latitudes the onset and withdrawal of winter plays the important role.
However, rainfall plays the major role in agriculture. Rainfall presents natural variability a major component of climate change wherein organizations, institutes including UN agencies misleading the farming by saying extremes are associated with a fictitious global warming. In India all India Rainfall presents a 60-year cycle wherein river water flows following this pattern. However, in the south rainfall is received not only in southwest monsoon but also northeast monsoon and as well from cyclonic activities. The height number of severe cyclones have been occurring in May [Summer – pre-monsoon] and November [winter – post-monsoon]. Some of these are discussed in the following three recent books and an article.
Reddy, S.J., (2019a): Agroclimatic/Agrometeorological Techniques: As applicable to Dry-land Agriculture in Developing Countries [2nd Edition]. Brillion Publishing, New Delhi, 372p.
Reddy, S.J., (2019b): Workable “Green” Green Revolution: A Framework [Agriculture in the perspective of Climate Change]. Brillion Publishing, New Delhi, 221p.
Reddy, S.J., (2019c): Water Resources Availability over India. Brillion Publishing, New Delhi, 224p.
Reddy, S.J., (2020a): AGROMETEOROLOGY: An Answer to Climate Crisis, Brillion Publishing, New Delhi, 242p.
Reddy, S.J., (2020b): Hypocrisy they Name: “Colorado River flow Shrinks from Climate Crisis, Risking Severe water Shortages” -- A Note, Journal of Agriculture and Aquaculture, 2(2): 14pages
V0- Promoting youth engagement and employment in Agriculture and Food Systems: Suggestions or Proposals
Dr. S. Jeevananda Reddy
“A food system includes all processes and infrastructure involved in feeding a population: growing, processing, packaging, transporting, marketing, consumption, and disposal of food and food-related items. It also includes the input needed and output generated at each of these steps.”
Theoretical exercises lead nowhere in answering issues affecting youth engagement and employment in Agriculture and Food Systems (AFS). This needs to take in to account practical issues such as:
Existing and changing AFS scenarios of states and central governments;
Issues pertaining to interactions of multinational companies/local business houses with governments with reference to AFS;
Issues related to interactions of black-marketers in AFS with governments;
Issues pertaining to governments policies of imports and exports;
Issues of local food processing sector versus role of governments;
Issues on storage & transport facilities; etc. versus role of governments & private bodies;
Local/regional/national weather and climate scenarios in terms AFS;
I am here with present in brief relating to these issues with practical examples.
General
Under traditional system of Agriculture Animal Husbandry was part in which youth was a part of agriculture and food systems as the entire family used to participate. With the population growth-urban growth slowly this system of youth participation in family based agriculture activities were affected. This was severely affected with chemical input technology – the so-called green revolution technology [though in reality it is not green but it is blue]. This is primarily a mono crop system and thus slowly animal husbandry was weakened under agriculture. They varied from country to country, region to region within the country based on the availability of natural resources and weather & climate soil conditions.
Agriculture Systems
For example in India, states and central governments followed their own approaches as part of vote bank politics wherein incentives/populistic schemes played major role. Centre played major role in providing input subsidies and food subsidies. With all these 30-40% of food produced is going as waste. Multinational companies and local black-marketers have been thriving. Multinational companies are dumping illegally seeds that are affecting the local seeds.
Now, there is a severe fight between central government and farmers on the three Agic Bills. As the present central government is favouring privatize-corporatize everything that are functioning well. In agri sector with around 65-70 % of rural population were engaged in agriculture [directly & indirectly – more youth engaged in this sector]. When Agri Bills say “anywhere you can sell to anybody”, which means bills not only dumped minimum support price (MSP) but also automatically indirectly follows that no government role in procurement. When Agri Bills say “contract farming”, means agri bills have not only dumped MSP but also automatically no procurement by government. These not only affect farmers but also all citizens of India.
Also the present central government is encouraging multinational seed corporates to grow Genetically Modified (GM) Food Crops hitherto this was not permitted in India. Once this formalizes, automatically Indian markets will be flooded with GM food imports.
All these factors in an interactive way rural employment in agri sector will be drastically come down. Here youth are the main victims. They have to move to urban areas. The present day governments are encouraging real estate in urban areas by killing environment – creating environmental degradation with severe urban flooding.
processing industry at village/mandal levels based on the local production systems help creation of employment opportunities to youth instead of migrating to urban areas. Under corporate/contract farming this is a big question but under cooperative farming that links agriculture with animal husbandry similar to traditional agriculture; under organic inputs provide better employment opportunities. However multinational companies black-marketers pressurising governments not to encourage such system.
Weather & Climate
Weather and climate play major role in Agriculture. They vary with country to country, region/state to region/state with in a country; location to location within the region/state. Before making any attempt to come up with policies, it must be mandated to make this clear. In fact I made such studies for Mozambique and Ethiopia. Some of these reports are now available online – some western organizations have created them on line.
Tropics where majority of developing countries are located temperature is not an important factor in agriculture. UN agencies have been dumping the concept of global warming and harming the agriculture sector in those countries. The concept of global warming is misleading climate change and is helping to pocket money by some institutions, organizations, individuals. In tropical warm countries crops/varieties have been selective for the season. In middle latitudes the onset and withdrawal of winter plays the important role.
However, rainfall plays the major role in agriculture. Rainfall presents natural variability a major component of climate change wherein organizations, institutes including UN agencies misleading the farming by saying extremes are associated with a fictitious global warming. In India all India Rainfall presents a 60-year cycle wherein river water flows following this pattern. However, in the south rainfall is received not only in southwest monsoon but also northeast monsoon and as well from cyclonic activities. The height number of severe cyclones have been occurring in May [Summer – pre-monsoon] and November [winter – post-monsoon]. Some of these are discussed in the following three recent books and an article.
Reddy, S.J., (2019a): Agroclimatic/Agrometeorological Techniques: As applicable to Dry-land Agriculture in Developing Countries [2nd Edition]. Brillion Publishing, New Delhi, 372p.
Reddy, S.J., (2019b): Workable “Green” Green Revolution: A Framework [Agriculture in the perspective of Climate Change]. Brillion Publishing, New Delhi, 221p.
Reddy, S.J., (2019c): Water Resources Availability over India. Brillion Publishing, New Delhi, 224p.
Reddy, S.J., (2020a): AGROMETEOROLOGY: An Answer to Climate Crisis, Brillion Publishing, New Delhi, 242p.
Reddy, S.J., (2020b): Hypocrisy they Name: “Colorado River flow Shrinks from Climate Crisis, Risking Severe water Shortages” -- A Note, Journal of Agriculture and Aquaculture, 2(2): 14pages
Dr. S. Jeevananda Reddy
Formerly Chief Technical Advisor – WMO/UN & Expert – FAO/UN
Fellow, Telangana Academy of Sciences
Convenor, Forum for a Sustainable Environment