WHAT MODERN FARMING IS ALL ABOUT?

Agriculture or farming marks the beginning of civilizations. Ever since human found ways to regenerate crops and other plants using the resources available in nature and deploying them methodically to extend the seasons of yields from months to year-round; the human race has never looked behind for meeting its food supplies. The productivity in agriculture sector has led to the growth and development of many other industries. And thus, there’s no denying the fact that in a country like India, the importance of agriculture can never diminish. With the majority of the economy relying on agricultural produce, India is one of the nations that supply a variety of farm products across the globe through exports. No matter the advancement of the technology and the industrial domain, agriculture has never lost its glory as a domain offering means of livelihood to the majority of the people and sustenance to plenty.

The advancements in science and technology have revolutionized the field of agriculture. Plenty of modern farming techniques like harvesting machines, GM seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, etc., have made intensive farming possible for a densely populated country like India, which, in turn, has paved the way to solve many of the food security problems in the nation, thereby ensuring long term economic prosperity.

This article is a brief account of what modern farming is all about and how it has drifted far from the traditional labor-intensive, low yield cultivation to machine-intensive, high yield farming.

Modern farming refers to the process of integrating technology with innovations for optimal use of land fertility and gain maximum possible harvest out of a land. There are a number of practices that are encompassed under modern farming. Let us have a look at some them below.

Monoculture & Mixed Farming

While plenty of lands are cultivated for a single crop, some of the cultivable lands get also farmed for several crops in different seasons. Depending on the nature and variety of cropsbeing sown, the quality of soil, and the land’s size, the land is either put to monoculture or mixed farming.

Tillage

Tillage is one of the most practiced pre-planting procedures in which the bigger limps are crushed into smaller particles and leveled. This makes plaguing easier and guarantees fair distribution of the nutrients available in the soil. Plenty of modern tilling machines are used these days to ensure effortless tilling and optimum soil preparation.

Genetic Manipulation

Genetic manipulation has gifted us with several GM seeds which are far more yielding than their natural counterparts. Researchers from the domain of genetic engineering and molecular biology contribute substantially to this field’s advancements and innovation.

Irrigation

Water is indispensable for farming. Earlier, people used to depend on rainwater for their farming. But today, the farming practices involve extensive irrigation methods. Drip irrigation, sprinkler system, and irrigation through tube wells are some types of irrigation that make year-round cultivation possible.

Fertilizers & Pesticides

To keep the crops and harvests out of the threat of pests and rodents, the farming sector uses plenty of pesticides, rodenticides, etc. To enhance the fertility of the soils, farmers use fertilizers and the manures that are integral to modern farming practices.

Machines

When it comes to harvesting large areas, harvesters are considered indispensable these days. From sowing to harvesting, almost every variety of farming tasks is now done with machines to save time and human effort. Of late, even robotics is getting deployed to make the farming procedures more yield friendly.

At K.R.Mangalam University, we comprehend the paradigm shift in the agricultural sector. Keeping the same in mind, we have upgraded our curriculum and have integrated the on-ground learning methods to make our students aware of modern farming techniques. The world tomorrow will have a rising demand in agricultural studies to meet the global demand for food, balancing the exhaustion of nature. A degree in agriculture would be the most rewarding one in the times to come for the ambitious minds of the nation.