Environmental and Agricultural Research Center

Contents:

Chapter 1: Introduction

- Topic of Research
- Subject of Research
- Hypothesis statement
- Background
- Topic justification
- Aims and objectives
- Methodology
- Scope and limitations
- Design intent

Chapter 2: History of agriculture in the region

- Importance of agriculture.
- History of the region.
- History of Agriculture
- Vedic period
- Early Modern Era
- Agriculture after independence

Chapter 3: Sustainable farming

- What is Sustainable farming?
- Importance of sustainable farming.
- Conventional farming methods vs sustainable farming method.
- Awareness about sustainable farming.

Chapter 4: To study the effectiveness of existing Agricultural training center

- Overview of an agricultural research center.
- Functioning of an agricultural research center.
- Reviewing on existing agricultural center.

Chapter 5: Issues related to agriculture in region

- Topography of the region.
- Climatic condition of the region.
 - Issues related to use of fertilizers.
- Issues related to water shortage.
- Issues related to farming methods.
- Other issues in the region.

Chapter 6: Case studies:

Live Case study:
- Rajasthan Agricultural Research Institute, Jaipur
- College of Agriculture, Indore
Internet Case study:
- Spanish-Portuguese Agricultural Research Center

Chapter 7: Site Analysis

Chapter 8: Area Requirement for the Proposed Center

Introduction:

- Subject of Research:
India is mainly an agricultural country. Agriculture is the most important occupation for most
of the Indian families.1 Agriculture plays an essential role in the process of economic development of
the country. Besides providing food to nation, agriculture releases labour, provides saving, contributes
to market of industrial goods and earns foreign exchange. Agricultural development is an integral part
of overall economic development. Agriculture and allied activities contributed nearly 50 percent to
India's national income. After 69 year of independence, the share of agriculture in total national
income declined from 50 percent in 1950 to 18 percent in 2013-2014.2 But even today more than 60
percent of workforce is engaged in agriculture. In spite of this, it is also an important feature of
agriculture to a considerable extent. Because of these reasons agriculture continues to be the dominant
sector in Indian economy.3

- Topic of Research:
The critical issues that causes difficulty for Indian agriculture at present are the knowledge
deficit and infrastructure deficit, especially in the rural areas. Poor water management: Improper use
of water in farming areas which use large amounts of water serves as a major problem especially in
times of drought and lack of water poses a major issue to the sector. This results in adverse effects
during the dry seasons as no or little water is reserved. Decline in soil fertility: The water logging of
soil in the farming land has over time caused a decline in the soil fertility. The resulting effect is lower
yield and a drop in the quality of crops produced. Farmers have poor access to knowledge of
agricultural techniques.
Agriculture extension services in most part of the country are pathetic and Agricultural
Universities do precious little to contribute to knowledge. A small farmer is guided by large farmers
and agriculture input dealers on what to plant, when and how. What works for the large holder may
not work for the small holder and input dealers have a conflict of interest.4
For six decades the government has only proclaimed to be pro-agriculture. In reality nothing
significant has been done to help farmers get out of the crises they face. Government failure is a major
concern in agriculture because the high risks involved make help and facilitation necessary. Like any

1
http://www.importantindia.com/4587/importance-of-agriculture-in-indian-economy/
2
Agricultural Development in India since Independence: A Study on Progress, Performance, and Determinants,
Amarnath Tripathi & A.R. Prasad, Journal of Emerging Knowledge on Emerging Markets, Volume 1 Issue 1,
November 2009
3
http://www.seedbuzz.com/knowledge-center/article/69-years-after-independence-where-is-the-agricultural-
sector-in-india
4
http://tejas.iimb.ac.in/interviews/12.php
other business enterprise, agriculture is subjected to high risks because of the volatile nature of the
factors involved. For instance, weather is often a problem - you have droughts in one year and heavy
rains in the next. In both cases, farmers lose out, hence they have to look for a normal period to make
money. Government, therefore, has to play a major role in providing support to farmers.5

- Hypothesis Statement:
The Thesis aims at reducing the problem faced by farmers in rural areas using research center
as a medium.

- Background:
Rajasthan occupies 10 percent of the total geographical area of the country, but the vast
geographical area commands only 1 percent of the total water resources in the country. Agriculture is
mainly rain fed but it is inadequate and aberrant. Out of the total geographical area in the State, even
50 percent is not cultivable and within cultivable land, soil fertility varies considerably across
districts. The wide differences in land productivity indicate the variation in soil health across districts
in the State. Rajasthan being geographically the largest state in the country has a varied topography
where Soils differ in quality depending on the organic matter present in them, their physical structure,
local climatic variation, the crop rotation cycle that is followed, availability of moisture etc.6
For agricultural research and training, Rajasthan has two agricultural institute, one at Bikaner
and the other at Jaipur. They have a large number of research stations across the state. However, two
agricultural institutes have not helped the cause of the state. For more purposeful utilization of
available financial resources, there needs to be better planning and fund provision. Though Rajasthan
has the highest cattle population, there is no institute in the state for it. Rajasthan has developed an
excellent research network to develop location-specific technologies covering all the agro-climatic
regions of the state. However, more emphasis has been given on crop sciences and not much on
animal husbandry, horticulture, pesticide residue etc. All the research has to be demonstrated to the
farmers for adoption.

-Topic Justification:
Rajasthan has unique characteristics, which need specific strategies based on agro-climatic
features. Some of the issues faced are: Firstly, Small size of villages i.e. population less than 500
people per village. Large distances between villages that creates transportation problem. High growth
rate of population and low literacy levels.

5
http://visionias.in/home/resources/open_doc/current_affairs/imp_issues/Indian%20Agriculture%20-
%20Problems%20and%20Solutions%20-%20Final.pdf
6
http://niti.gov.in/writereaddata/files/Rajasthan-reports_0.pdf
 There is very limited opportunities for shifting surplus labour force from agriculture to non-
agriculture areas. Another issues are with the use of fertilizers. The crop residues and farmyard
manure are not being returned to the soil in the desired quantities to maintain soil health. There is mo
proper and systematic storage system for fertilizer and farmyard manure in many areas. Systematic
efforts are needed in this direction with the active involvement of farmers and NGOs.
Recommendations for improving the quality of farming in the region: Agriculture should be
treated as a priority sector. Crop insurance practices are needed in Rajasthan as agriculture is rain fed
and drought is regular phenomenon. Research in farming should respond to the farmers needs in the
local context. Clearly a lot needs to be achieved in the next future years: the surface water utilization
has to be increased by 60 %; distribution system efficiency has to be improved to 74%. There is also
need for sustainability of water resources and ensuring water quality to meet the future drinking water
and irrigation requirements. 7
-Aim :
- To study about the issues of faced in agriculture in Rajasthan.
- To study the effectiveness of the existing agricultural center.
- To study the awareness in farmers about sustainable farming.
- Objectives:
- To create a center for farmers for betterment in agriculture.
- To promote research on Animal husbandry, Horticulture in the region.
- To provide employment to farmers in non agricultural season.
- Methodology:
- To study the history of Rajasthan with respect to Agriculture.
- To study the region on the basis of agro-climatic zones and its soil types.
- To study the growth of crops in different of Rajasthan.
- To study the issues faced by the farmers.
- Interviewing farmers for their needs regarding better farming.
- To study the Government Initiative regarding agriculture in the region.
- Interviewing agriculture experts about the lack of awareness in farmers.
- To study existing agricultural center and its impact in the region.
- Scope and Limitations:
The limitation of this thesis is the selection of the site on the basis of geographical land variation.

- Design Intent:
Reducing issues faced by the farmers in the region of Rajasthan , leading to the betterment in the
growth of not only crop production but also in the field of animal husbandry, horticulture etc.

7
Rajasthan Development Report By Planning Commission of India