Sustaining Productivity in Rainfed Agriculture System

Sustaining and enhancing agriculture productivity has been recognized as one of the key pathways of reducing and eliminating hunger, poverty and malnutrition. Agricultural sector is regarded as the key component of the economies of many developing nations, including India. Globally, agriculture accounts for a large share of GDP, it employs a significant proportion of the labour force, represents a major source of foreign exchange earnings, supplies bulk of basic food and provides subsistence and other income to the agriculture dependant growing population in the world. The strong linkages that agriculture has with other economic sectors representing both forward and backward linkages provide significant stimulus for growth and income generation. It is therefore obvious that significant progress in promoting economic growth, reducing poverty and enhancing food security cannot be achieved without developing a sound, effective and vibrant agriculture system that pays concurrent attention to the human potential and productive capacity of the agriculture sector. These in turn will ensure enhanced contribution of agriculture to the overall economic and social development. Therefore, a strong and effective food and agricultural system forms the primary pillar in the strategy of overall economic growth and development, and more specifically for the developing nations.