The Hindu Business Line : Scientists discuss evolving tech for farms in S. Asia, Africa

Technology has not only made progress possible but also accelerated growth in most parts of the globe. The question then is, can technology help lift the millions in these regions from poverty?

G. Chandrashekhar

Recently in Washington DC South Asia and Africa are increasingly drawing global attention. In addition to rapidly rising population, pervasive poverty, serious malnutrition (particularly among women and children) and rapid spread of deadly diseases like HIV/AIDS have begun to cause serious concern not only among Governments and international institutions, but also among non-governmental charitable organisations and the civil society.

Large parts of Africa and South Asia are agrarian. Agriculture still provides livelihood to hundreds of millions here; yet, there is little to suggest agriculture has delivered tangible monetary benefit to people. A nexus between agrarian crisis and social unrest is discernable.

The world at large is moving forward with economic development benefiting large sections of people. Technology has not only made progress possible but has also accelerated growth in most parts of the globe. Those in hunger hotspots, however, continue to languish; and possibly pose stated and unstated risks to others.

Technology & poverty

The question then is, can technology help lift millions in South Asia and Africa from poverty and help them meet life’s basic needs?

At the initiative of Melinda and Bill Gates Foundation, the (US) National Research Council conducted a 2-day intensive workshop (July 6-7) with the objective of envisioning a scenario for the future of agriculture in India that involves new, imaginative technology-supported opportunities for farmers in this region of the world.

The workshop brought together some of the top scientists in the US and outside, creative thinkers and innovators, in an exercise to conceptualise technologies that could transform the nature of farming in India and in South Asia more generally.

Among a plethora of needs, five broad issues came to the fore. These included Water (availability, quality, use, management); Soil (fertility, health); Energy (production, availability, storage, cost); Genomics (plant/animal genetics/genomics, drought-tolerance); and Crossover technology (diagnostic and predictive, remote sensing).

Studying needs

Inputs generated from in-depth discussions are expected to be utilised in shaping the final product of a study that identifies technologies with potential to transform agriculture and thereby raise the living standards of a vast majority in South Asia and Africa. It was an extraordinary opportunity for this correspondent to have been invited to participate in the 2-day intensive workshop and to present a status report on Indian economy in general and agriculture in particular.

The presentation included how technologies (information technology and agricultural biotechnology) are beginning to slowly transform Indian agriculture and agri-markets.

Next 25 years

Earlier, Mr Willem Janssen and Ms Eija Pehu, senior officials from World Bank, presented the scenario analysis of Indian agriculture in the next 25 years, part of National Agricultural Innovation Project with which this correspondent was associated.

Dr Brian A Larkins, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Distinguished University Professor of Life Sciences at the University of Nebraska (Lincoln), chaired the 2-day meeting in which about 30 scientists, technologists and engineers representing diverse disciplines participated.

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