Indian Agriculture: Challenges, Priorities and Solutions

This edited volume examines the challenges and solutions in the intricate landscape of Indian agriculture and global trade. It explores the historical shifts from an industry-driven to agrarian economy, followed by rapid urbanization in the latter half of the 20th century.

Modern agri-business is a global phenomenon not only affected by local and regional factors but also by global policies directed by global agencies. This book focuses on problems commonly associated with the advancement of agriculture in India, as well as issues arising out of global agricultural trade. The book contains chapters on associated problems, some priority issues, and approaches that could be used to overcome these limitations. Focused on rural India, the book underscores the critical role of agriculture, contributing a major part to the national income. The book highlights the economic opportunities arising from agriculture, emphasizing the need for sustainable practices given ecological, cultural, and socio-economic impacts. Addressing the complexities, the book advocates for diversification, adaptive varieties, and technological integration, including biotechnology and information technologies, to ensure the sustainability of agriculture. It also stresses the urgency of coherent national policies for soil and water resource use, marketing, business management, climate impacts, and more. It outlines key interventions and frameworks designed to guide actions on food security and nutrition, making a case for India's crucial role in global food production and supply chain systems.

The book has been written and edited by leading researchers of the respective fields. It is a useful resource for students, researchers, academicians as well as farmers and policymakers.

Naveen K. Sharma is a Professor at the Department of Botany, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak (M.P., India). He graduated with a Master’s in Botany from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, and a doctorate from Jiwaji University, Gwalior (M.P.), India. With more than 22 years of teaching and research experience, he has published 60 research articles and authored/edited 5 books. He is a recipient of the IUSSTF fellowships (2010) from the DST, New Delhi, and Indo-US Technology Forum, USA. He served as Dean, Faculty of Science & Head, Department of Botany, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak, India.

Pradeep Kumar Rai is a microbiologist at the IFFCO-nano fertilizer plant in Phulpur, Prayagraj, U.P., India. He did his Ph.D. from the Department of Botany, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India, and post-doctoral training from the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, New Delhi. He has expertise in soil microbial ecology and sustainable agricultural practices. He has published 36 research papers and edited a book. 

Dinesh Chand Rai is currently the Vice Chancellor at the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University, Muzaffarpur, Bihar. Before this, he was a senior professor at the Department of Dairy Science and Food Technology, Institute of Agricultural Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. He did his M.Sc. (Dairy Science) from BHU (1986) as a Gold Medallist, and Ph.D. in Dairy Technology from the Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.