Countdown to 2047: Will India take biosciences to the farmyard to become the world’s food mart?

Harnessing the power of technology, revolutionising agriculture both in scale and efficiency, coupled with the need for a mass movement to promote natural farming, could fulfil the country’s aspirations of feeding the world on ‘India-grown’ items.

As the world faces an intimidating list of challenges such as food inflation, climate change, supply chain disruptions, urban migration, and severe hunger, India has on several occasions taken the responsibility to feed the vulnerable and the needy.

Futuristic technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data analytics and utilisation of drones are being adopted.


With several agritech firms emerging in the space, advanced technologies can well be integrated with the traditional farming ecosystem and many of these problems can be resolved efficiently.

Innovation is already triggering a much-needed shift away from foodgrains to value-added crops, providing higher income to farmers as they embrace shifts in demand for diverse foods.

While it is important to feed the world, it is equally important to conserve natural resources — soil, water and air. The PM has on several occasions urged farmers to replace chemical fertilisers and pesticides that spurred the Green Revolution with nature-based concoctions, advocating a “completely science-based” shift from chemistry labs to nature’s laboratory.

Though India has taken giant strides in agriculture in the past 75 years, there are areas that are yet to be addressed. There is an immediate need to create infra at the farmgate. Farmers today lack access to sorting, grading, and packing facilities near fields. This leads to post-harvest losses and lowers the incentive for high-quality output. The access to formal credit, currently at around 60%, also needs to be ramped up significantly. Diversification into cash crops as well as fruits, vegetables and spices is essential for farmers to enhance incomes.