Agricultural technologies can increase global crop yields by 67pc

Pakistan, which has an agrarian economy, is not equipped to adapt to climate change because of its low technological and resource base.

It has suffered a loss of billions because of the floods in recent years. A new strategy is required to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

The increased demand for food due to population and income growth and the impacts of climate change on agriculture will ratchet up the pressure for increased and more sustainable agricultural production to feed the planet.

A new report released on Wednesday by London-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) measures the impacts of agricultural innovation on farm productivity, prices, hunger, and trade flows as we approach 2050 and identifies practices which could significantly benefit developing nations.

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) seeks sustainable solutions for ending hunger and poverty.

The IFPRI was established in 1975 to identify and analyse alternative national and international strategies and policies for meeting the food needs of the developing world, with particular emphasis on low-income countries and on the poorer groups in those countries. “The book, Food Security in a World of Natural Resource Scarcity: The Role of Agricultural Technologies, released today, examines 11 agricultural practices and technologies and how they could help farmers around the world improve the sustainability of growing three of the world’s main staple crops – maize, rice, and wheat,” the report said.

Using a first-of-its-kind data model, the IFPRI pinpoints the agricultural technologies and practices that can most significantly reduce food prices and food insecurity in developing nations. The study profiles 11 agricultural innovations: crop protection, drip irrigation, drought tolerance, heat tolerance, integrated soil fertility management, no-till farming, nutrient use efficiency, organic agriculture, precision agriculture, sprinkler irrigation, and water harvesting.

The findings from the book indicate that no-till farming alone could increase maize yields by 20 percent, but also irrigating the same no-till fields could increase maize yields by 67 percent in 2050.

Nitrogen-use efficiency could increase rice crop yields by 22 percent, but irrigation increased the yields by another 21 percent.

Heat-tolerant varieties of wheat could increase crop yields from a 17 percent increase to a 23 percent increase with irrigation.

Yet, no single silver bullet exists. “The reality is that no single agricultural technology or farming practice will provide sufficient food for the world in 2050,” said Mark Rosegrant, lead author of the book and director of IFPRI’s Environment and Production Technology Division. “Instead we must advocate for and utilise a range of these technologies in order to maximise yields.”

However, it is realistic to assume that farmers in the developing world and elsewhere would adopt a combination of technologies as they become more widely available. If farmers were to stack agricultural technologies in order of crop production schedules, the combination of agricultural technologies and practices could reduce food prices by up to 49 percent for maize, up to 43 percent for rice, and 45 percent for wheat due to increased crop productivity. The technologies with the highest percentage of potential impact for agriculture in developing countries include no-till farming, nitrogen-use efficiency, heat-tolerant crops, and crop protection from weeds, insects, and diseases.

The anticipated negative effects of climate change on agricultural productivity as well as projected population growth by 2050, suggest that food insecurity and food prices will increase. For example, climate change could decrease maize yields by as much as 18 percent by 2050–making it even more difficult to feed the world if farmers cannot adopt agricultural technologies that could help boost food production in their regions.

“One of the most significant barriers to global food security is the high cost of food in developing countries,” Rosegrant explained. “Agricultural technologies used in combinations tailored to the crops grown and regional differences could make more food more affordable – especially for those at risk of hunger and malnutrition in developing countries.”

However, based on current projections, stacked technologies could reduce food insecurity by as much as 36 percent. Making this a reality, however, depends on farmers gaining access to these technologies and learning how to use them. This underscores the need for improved agricultural education to ensure that farmers are able to use the best available technologies for their region and resources.

The IFPRI highlights three key areas for investments prioritising effective technology use: increasing crop productivity through enhanced investment in agricultural research; developing and using resource-conserving agricultural management practices such as no-till farming, integrated soil fertility management, improved crop protection, and precision agriculture.

Shahid Husain
Monday, February 17, 2014, Source: International The News

Latest tech is the future of agriculture in Pakistan

Sunday, 7 July 2013

Experts at an international seminar on Tuesday called for promotion of environment-friendly agricultural practices like precision cultivation to increase productivity and to reduce the input cost.

The seminar titled Technology, Energy and Natural Resources was arranged by the Department of Environmental Sciences of GC University, Faisalabad (GCUF) and was presided over by Acting Vice Chancellor and Faculty of Science and Technology Dean Dr Naureen Aziz Qureshi.

Image Source: http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/571664-hitechagriculture-1372811370-670-640x480.jpg

Experts who spoke on the occasion included Dr Qamaruz Zaman and Dr Tri Ngyuen Quang from Canada’s Dalhousie University and Department of Environmental Sciences GCUF Chairman Dr Farhat Abbas. Dr Schumann from University of Florida also addressed the seminar via video conferencing.

Prof Dr Naureen Aziz said that it was important to make efficient use of natural resources and at the same time maintaining international standards.

She said that glaciers were melting drastically due to climate changes and after 50 years, the country would be left with few glaciers if the trends remained unchanged. She stressed the need to shift from flood irrigation to drip irrigation to conserve water.

She said water efficiency in Pakistan was only 40 percent and added that per capita water availability was down to 1,000 cubic metres.

Prof Dr Qamarur Zaman said that the world population would touch 9 billion a few decades.

In order to meet agricultural needs with limited resources, Pakistan would have to shift focus to precision agriculture.

Dr Tri was of the view that the advanced technology would be very useful to countries with a warm climate like Pakistan.

Dr Farhad Abbas said, “We are wasting our resources in agriculture because of our reluctance to switch from traditional methods.” He also talked about using environment-friendly practices at par with modern trends.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 3^rd, 2013.

MODERN AGRICULTURE-HOW TO PROCEED

Ali Ahsan Bajwa, Dr. Muhammad Farooq, Usman Zulfiqar

Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, 38040.Pakistan
http://www.agrinfobank.com 

I guess change is the only constant in world. Everything has to change with time sooner or later. Agriculture is one of the most important and old occupations. People used to grow crops and rear animals to meet their food and accommodation requirements since ancient times. These requirements have climbed enormously with the passage of time. Agriculture has changed and is still changing with modern trends of time. Modern agriculture is quite different from conventional one. Previously lands were disturbed with bullocks and seeds were dispersed by hands. A person used to grow grains and grasses on small piece of land by adding dunghill of his domestic animals to feed his family and the same animals. Milk, meat and eggs were available at the cost on-farm produced grains and forage. Groundwater was sweet enough to drink, to bath and to grow crops and vegetables. Yields far below than present levels, were sufficient to feed farming community and to earn necessary money through give and take trading system. Lands were blackish with maximum organic matter and crop produce was pure and healthy. Incidence of diseases in plants and animals were not as much frequent and severe as now. Meanwhile, people were contended with lesser income and profits. Environment was safe due to the absence of agro-chemicals, synthetic fertilizers, growth regulators, heavy machinery, industry and luxury. This was the story of old agriculture which is not prevalent anymore because of elevated levels of population, increased urbanization, industrialization, commercialization, rising desire for money and eagerness for so-called “modernization”.

Threats:

Modern agriculture in my opinion is a broad spectrum term covering all the advances being used in agriculture to enhance per unit production and per capita availability of food. It relates to the production process and marketing regimes. Modern agriculture requires heavy inputs along with mechanization to ensure maximum production. The process of crop production begins from sowing. The manipulation of soil for the provision of good environment to plants is necessary. This process of soil tillage and its intensity in modern agriculture is of key importance. It has been common practice to cultivate, shuffle and level the soil intensively at frequent basis. It is inevitable as people are trying to get more crops per year and then more production of each crop. Keeping in mind the fact that all the nutrients required to crop has to be taken up from soil, disturbance of soil becomes first priority. The same soil which was strong enough to provide essential elements to plants previously has become deficient of all. It is because of increased intensity of crops. Cropping intensity of Pakistan has increased from 25% to 150%. This much exploitation of soil has made it less fertile and less productive. People are trying to explore maximum potential and maximum crops from a unit area. Most of the time crops cultivated are exhaustive in nature. It means modern agriculture has also deviated from basic principles like planned crop rotations. There is no such involvement of restorative crops indeed. http://www.agrinfobank.com

Trend of monocropping has introduced the problems of specific weed flora development, insect-pests attacks, diseases incidence, weeds herbicide resistance, micronutrients deficiency and reduction in yield. Salient feature of modern agriculture is the maximum use of synthetic chemical fertilizers, growth regulators, soil conditioners, herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, insecticides, nematocides and wormicides. I refer “homicidal” as single but comprehensive word for all these. These are being added to the environment without any check just to have a quick control of problematic agents in crops. The farmer who was once reluctant to adopt these “poisons” has embraced the luxury and is blindly using all these. We are ridiculously feeding the earth with poisons to get blessings in the form of food grains, fruits and vegetables. Perhaps modern age has scratched the saying “as you sow, so shall you reap” from our greedy brains. Same dismal picture is for all natural sources like water, air, light, forests, deserts, mountains, flora, fauna and biodiversity. Modern man with its modern agriculture is playing havoc with all these beauties. Land is being degraded through accelerated erosion, salinity, waterlogging fertility loss. Ground water is no fit for irrigation because of more soluble salts and heavy metals in it. Rivers, lakes and oceans are being awarded with industrial effluents, agro-chemicals, municipal wastes and bio-excreta. Non-judicious use of farm machinery has increased fuel consumption, green house gases (GHGs) emission and soil degradation simultaneously. Oxides of N, O₂, C and S are being released through agro-ecosystem in biggest proportion which cause the haunting catastrophe of modern age, global warming. This mechano-chemical setup has induced drastic changes around the globe.

Global temperature is rising furiously, glaciers are melting and floods are coming. Rainfall patterns are changing that cause alternate flooding and drought onsets. Heat, cold, drought and submergence stresses are affecting the very same crop production due to which they prevails. Our needs have compelled us to apply the same irrational formula of production on livestock, poultry and fishery sectors. Factory-farming of meat and milk animals is also the “blessing” of modern agriculture. It is again due to increased food requirements. Animals are reared at sub-standard health conditions at commercial basis. High use of synthetic feed and regulators irrespective the animal health and requirement is done. It is an immoral way to fulfill food requirements by human-beings. Utilization of such chemicals offer sub-optimal conditions for animals and influence their health severely.

No doubt, science has gifted us modern technologies. These facilitate and provide ease, efficiency and perfection in agricultural processes. But the intensity, timing and frequency of their use make them blessing or calamity. In modern day agriculture focus is on resource exploitation, energy exploration, production enhancement and profit maximization. Food quality management, environmental protection, economic stability, moral obligations, natural resource conservation and system sustainability has been given secondary importance. This is injustice with us, coming generations and nature.

Suggested solutions:

My knowledge is poor, my abilities are fragile, my intellect is faint and my experience is small but my sense of realization of this matter is bigger than me. That realization is key for thinking about solution. Being an agrarian I have some simple but pragmatic points that can help in this regard:

• Immediate adoption of resource conservation technologies
• Start moving towards conservation agriculture slowly but surely
• Adopt sustainable measures in farming
• Proper but minimum use of agro-chemicals along with mechanical, manual and cultural approaches to control agricultural pests may help a lot
• Ecological options like cover crops, intercropping and true crop rotations must be considered
• Agricultural lands should not be devoted for industry or urban settlements
• Water bodies must be protected and addition of drain’s water, industrial effluents and municipal wastes should be strictly banned
• Agro-forestry should be promoted to enhance sustainability and biodiversity
• Use of natural products, manures and amendments should be encouraged
• Integrated approaches must be adopted. As we can neither reduce our population nor leave modern agriculture but decrease in use of harmful technologies and increase in use of natural options is possible. So, integrated weed management (IWM), integrated pest management (IPM), integrated disease management (IDM) and integrated nutrient management (INM) can make modern agriculture safe and suitable.
• Proper policy making and then fair implementation is very much necessary
• Action plans should be developed by research organizations, extension wing and educational institutes to discourage harmful practices of modern agriculture
• Awareness must be provoked in farming communities in this regard
• Influence of low standard pesticide companies in rural areas must be restricted
• Focused and comprehensive research is much needed to develop resource efficient techniques, to frame sustainable practices, to modify cropping schemes and cropping rotations, to improve farming systems and to reinforce natural phenomena
• Improved cultural practices (ICPs), recommended crop husbandry practices (RCHCs), on-farm management practices (OMPs) and good agricultural practices (GAPs) are collectively key to success and must be adopted
• Consistent efforts with logical modifications are pre-requisite for a better production system http://www.agrinfobank.com

Modern agriculture is not a bad thing at all and we cannot shift towards the agriculture of our fathers. But some poor management is governing us to the destruction which we can stop easily by adopting above mentioned rules. It could be a safe agriculture within the same resources, conditions and requirement just through better management. It is need of the hour to regulate our farming practices once again for secure future of us and our coming generations. I believe it’s the time to take these issues seriously and to make our mind for certain changes. A crucial initiative in this regard is required somewhere from government, research organizations or farming community. Someone has to break the ice and to embark upon the expedition of reform. Changing political and organizational setups will not help unless or until we decide to move with this enlightened vision.

Important Note: This article is copyright and sole property of agrinfobank.com, In case of republished or reproduced on your blog/website/Magazine, Kindly contact with us at contact@agrinfobank.com. In case of copyrights violation a strong action must be taken.

Effects of Hoeing on Standing Crops that Reduce the yield

Hoeing is big issue near farmer to remove the weeds, soil aeration, nitrogen fixing and fertility restoration in standing crops. But on the other hand some factors are studied by the approval of experiments which reduced the plant yield i.e

It cut the adventitious roots- they are the fibrous side root system which take up phosphorus, fix the nitrogen and other macro and micro nutrients from soil which support the plant for growth and development.

When fibrous roots system damaged then plant only depend on main root (tap root). Applicable nutrients are only available on upper soil surface, so plant cannot uptake it.

Hoeing damage the eggs of beneficial insects which are responsible for nitrogen fixing and fertility restoration.

Applicable nutrient move from one place to another.

Hoeing damage the whole plant or some parts.

It disturb the level of soil.

The main objective of hoeing near farmers is only weeds removal and soil aeration. This problem can be solved by using the below suggestion.

• By using recommend weedicide, at the pre emergence stage or post emergence stage for wheat, cotton, sugarcane, maiz, potato etc. weedicide dose can recommended by agrarian decision after field vist.

ü Pre emergence weedicides i.e.
Pandimethelen@1000ml/acre, Acetacholor@500ml/acre, S-metolacholor etc.
ü Post emergence weedicides viz.
Bromoxinal+MCPA@500ml/acre, Cholodenafop@150gm/acre,
Fenoxaprop@500ml/acre, Fluroxypyr + MCPA@300gm/acre,
Isoproturon@800gm/acre, Atlantis@180gm/acre, glyphosate@150ml/16L water,
Paraquat (Gramaxone)@1000ml/acre.

• By using recommended soil supplements at both stages i.e. pre sowing and post sowing.

These supplements improve the soil structure and make a fertile soil for better crop yield.
ü Humic acid, application of this recommended dose chemical in soil at pre and post sowing break the soil hard pan, active the bonded nutrients in soil, soil aeration by softening of soil.
ü By the application of balance macro and micro nutrient at sowing and post sowing time.
This method is very efficient to improve the soil structure and increase the crop yield for the earning of farmers, time saving and for country development.
By: Shehzad Ahmad Kang: Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan,38040.
Corresponding author’s email; shehzadpbg@gmail.com

The science of compost

Gardening experts discuss how to rectify a stinky compost bin.
Composting at home is fairly straightforward, but can go wrong quickly, and your nose knows when the compost container isn’t working properly. A functioning compost pile should smell faintly like warm earth. There are several causes of foul-smelling compost, and several practical solutions.
Mark King is a compost expert with the division of solid waste management at the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. He said all stinky compost problems come down to “breakdowns in pile management,” largely due to neglect.

“Many people read how easy it is to compost and tend to think you can just toss stuff into a pile and in six to 12 months you will have compost,” King said. “This popular misconception has led to more than a few unhappy home owners who end up with a stinky offensive mess. However, provided with the proper technical support and educational outreach, they are able to turn things around, and happiness returns.”

The magic of microbes

Though compost may seem like magic, it relies on little critters — either microbes or worms. As King explains, these helpers require food, air and water.

“Microbes rely upon a balance of carbon and nitrogen. Carbon provides the energy source, and nitrogen is used as ‘building blocks’ to produce more microbes,” King said. Specifically, this recipe translates to 30 or 40 parts paper or leaves (carbon) per one part food scraps or grass clippings (nitrogen). The mix must be kept moist and well-aerated.

If the mix is right, the microbes produce compost, carbon dioxide and water vapor. Without enough oxygen or the wrong mix, it could start producing stinky volatile organic acids.

Time and temperature: The keys to compost

King recommends taking the temperature of a compost pile. The goal is temperatures above 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

Richard Stehouwer is an associate professor of environmental soil science at Penn State University. He explains why cooler compost isn’t doing its job.

“Anaerobic decomposition is much slower and generates far less heat than aerobic decomposition,” he said. “So heat dissipates from the pile as quickly as it is being generated and the pile temperature does not increase. In these systems anything that prevents oxygen from reaching zones in the pile where decomposition is ongoing will result in anaerobic conditions and production of malodorous gasses.”

“Optimizing the recipe will create an odor-free, aerobic environment,” King said. “When any of these items are out of balance, odors ensue. The good news is that with proper attention, most problems are easily fixed and odors go away.”

Stehouwer offers the following troubleshooting suggestions for cold, stinky compost bins:

1. Mix the carbon and the food scraps more thoroughly, so the decomposing food can diffuse oxygen faster than it consumes oxygen.

2. Mix more dry leaves or paper into a pile that may be too wet. “The rate of oxygen diffusion through water is 10,000 times slower than through air,” he said.

3. “Add material that will help create porosity,” he said, such as wood chips, straw and dry leaves. Large air gaps in a compost pile improve air flow and help the microbes do their job.

4. Add more carbon. Excess nitrogen, or food scraps, can generate stinky ammonia.

Preventing compost odors in the kitchen

The other major source of compost-related odors is the food scrap pile in the kitchen awaiting the trip to the compost bin. To avoid odors in the kitchen, King recommends storing less than a week’s worth of food in an airtight container, then feeding it to the compost microbes along with the recommended 30 to 40 times as much paper, leaves or other carbon.

The same general rules apply to worm compost, which also can start to smell with the wrong proportions of food, carbon and water. King warns against letting food scraps get too rotten. “Even worms have their standards.”

Stehouwer warns that worm compost bins can get stinky if users add more food or larger particles than worms can handle. He recommends chopping food into smaller pieces, and always adding plenty of paper or cardboard whenever food is added. Some vermicomposters use a small old blender or food processor to grind up the worm food.

Give the worms, or the microbes in a hot compost bin, the right mix of food, air and water, and they will generate valuable, earthy-smelling compost for your garden.

Source: MNN
Published on: 03/21/2011

Intensive Farming With a Climate-Friendly Touch: Farming/Woodland Mix Increases Yields

In the world of agriculture, climate protection and intensive farming are generally assumed to be a contradiction in terms. At Technische Universität München (TUM), however, scientists have come up with a new land development concept that could change this view. The new model is tailored to medium-sized farms in South America and sees farmers transitioning from large-scale monoculture to more diverse crop mixtures spread over smaller plots interspersed with wooded areas -- a switch that can bring significant financial benefits.

 

Each year, huge carbon stores are lost as a result of deforestation. In South America, around four million hectares of forest are cut down every year. As a result, international climate protection programs are planning to financially compensate farmers who preserve forests or plant new trees. Demand for land is rising, however. And growing need for food and energy crops will inevitably lead to conflicts of interest over fertile land in countries such as Brazil and Ecuador.

Thomas Knoke and Michael Weber at Technische Universität München (TUM) firmly believe that intensive, high-yield agricultural practices can go hand-in-hand with climate and environmental protection. The two scientists and their colleagues have developed a "diversified land-use" concept for medium-sized holdings in South America based on an idea originally developed by retired TUM professor, Wolfgang Haber. The new concept encourages farmers to move away from large-scale monocropping and plant a mix of field crops on smaller plots, while at the same time setting aside part of their land for forests and hedges. Any unused land will be reforested. The smaller plots of farmland will still be large enough for intensive farming practices using fertilizers, planting machines and harvesters. The interspersed wooded areas and hedges will protect the soil from erosion and serve as long-term carbon stores.

Knoke and Weber have evaluated the economic viability of their concept based on a typical medium-sized agricultural holding. This model hacienda comprises an area of over 116 hectares and includes croplands, wooded areas and unused land. There are around five million family-owned farms of this size on the South American continent.

Adopting this sustainable method of intensive farming initially means higher costs for farmers due to reforestation and the division of land into individual plots. However, the combination of woodland management and smaller plots of land pays off in the long term. Working lots of individual plots enables farmers to diversify and spread risk -- in much the same way as smart investors. By growing a broader portfolio of crops such as soya, sugar cane, corn and coffee, they can reduce their dependency on price fluctuations. The wooded areas also provide extra income. Smaller material from forest thinning can be used as firewood, while larger logs can be sold as building material. Depending on the crops harvested, a farm modeled on the diversified land-use method will achieve higher returns than a monocrop farm in eight years at the latest. Farmers working this new model can achieve between 19 and 25 percent more yield than they would with large-scale monoculture.

To ease the transition to diversified land development, Knoke and Weber are lobbying for start-up funding and knowledge sharing. "The associated costs, however, are the same or less than comparable measures aimed at reducing CO2 levels," explains Professor Knoke from the TUM's Institute of Forest Management. "Which makes diversified land development in line with local dynamics an effective approach to ensuring highly productive yet climate-friendly agriculture."

Source: Science Daily

Published on: 11/08/2012