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Stress on evergreen revolution
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`Bio-villages' are the way forward
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Chennai
Jan. 22
Rural India cannot abandon agriculture from sustainable development. It needs to look at opportunities to supplement its dependence on agriculture, according to Prof P.C. Kesavan of the Department of Atomic Energy Homi Bhabha Chair and Distinguished Fellow at the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF).
"Green revolution is showing signs of fatigue. We need an evergreen revolution," he said.
According to him, integrating traditionally agricultural households into `bio-villages' is the way forward.
A bio-village consists of small and tiny eco-enterprises that are connected to an Internet-enabled knowledge centre.
These enterprises do not look merely at agriculture but also other means of livelihood during lean months.
MSSRF, in tie-ups with other organisations, plans to set up knowledge centres in at least 600 villages across India by August this year. Some 50 such knowledge centres have been set up so far.
"We need to promote eco-agriculture among rural agrarian households," he said.
In eco-agriculture, a mix of crops is grown through the year, thus reducing the farmer's dependence on one crop. Simultaneously, animal husbandry could be carried out as part of eco-agriculture.
The Government and industry must come together to look for opportunities in calamities.
Prof Kesavan gave the example of the recent tsunami, which destroyed paddy crop cultivated by farmers in Andaman and Nicobar.
MSSRF and other agencies helped these paddy farmers move to mud crab farming and mushroom production.
"This has not only given them a source of livelihood, but this produce is selling at least 5-6 times the price of paddy," he said.
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