WHAT IS FARMING ?

                 Hi everyone, In this blog I am going to discuss about "what is farming ?" and problems faced by the farmers in farming like about water usage and soil erosion.

                 Farming is the act or process of working the ground, planting seeds, and growing edible plants. You can also describe raising animals for milk or meat as farming. Farming is a great way to describe the lifestyle and work of people whose jobs are in the agriculture industry.

                Farming includes science, technology, and engineering. It is the genetics work used to improve the seeds and animals farmers purchase. It is the development, design, production and sales of everything farmers use – tractors, equipment, buildings, fertilizer, and more. Farming includes business. It is the financial and legal aspects of acquiring land and other assets needed to farm. It is the marketing, sales and distribution of the plants and animals  produced.  Nearly everything we eat, wear and use came from a plant or an animal raised on a farm. I always ask, but I have yet to have a student name something they eat that doesn’t come from a plant or an animal. And everything except wild caught fish, shellfish, and wild game came from a farm. I often have students look around their classroom and name something that comes from a farm. At first they are stumped, but once we talk about wood, cotton, and corn and soybean ingredients in industrial products they realize the list is long. Aside from metal, stone, and plastics made from petroleum, nearly everything we use includes something from a plant or animal raised on a farm.

  IMPORTANT OF FARMING IN LIFE

Farming is an important source of livelihood for people in most parts of the world. It involves laborious work, yet it contributes to food security and the health of the nation. Before the industrial revolution, farming was the primary source of economy. Despite many commercial options coming up, still many rely on farming for their income. It is a nature-friendly and most peaceful method of livelihood. Farming is one of the honest sources of income. It is a very reliable source of livelihood for mankind for the past many centuries. Many people from developing nations rely on farming for livelihood. Some people involved in other businesses or jobs still have farming as a side business. Farming  does not limit to cultivation and farming alone. It also extends to dairy, poultry, fisheries, sericulture, beekeeping (honey insects), etc. These are also dependent on farming  cultivation in some or other way. Farming becomes more profitable when combined with these alternative methods. Farming supplies food, clothing, medicine, and employment all over the world. It provides food security to the human population. Farming is the primary source of food products all over the world. All the major food substances viz. carbohydrates, proteins, and oils are produced by farming.              

                 The agricultural industry is a key one in the development of any nation, it is the central industry of every developing nation as history shows, and almost all the developed nations today grew on the back of a solid agricultural industry. When enough is produced for the people it provides a strong and healthy human resource needed to work farms and create more products, eventually the supply becomes more than the demand and trade was created. Agriculture was an important influence in the creation of trade and money …….the backbone of civilization today.

 FERTILIZERS AND FARM AGRICULTURE

                 Just as humans need essential minerals and nutrients for strong, healthy growth, so do the world's crops. Our core business of fertilizer production is intimately connected with agricultural productivity and food production. The role of fertilizers in food production is usually underestimated. Fertilizers are food for plants. Fertilizers replace the nutrients that crops remove from the soil. Without the addition of fertilizers, crop yields and agricultural productivity would be significantly reduced. That’s why mineral fertilizers are used to supplement the soil’s nutrient stocks with minerals that can be quickly absorbed and used by crops. 

                  Fertilizer use is very expensive and can harm the environment if not used correctly. Therefore, before adding fertilizer, farmers send a soil sample to a laboratory for baseline testing. By testing their soil, farmers know which nutrients—and how much to apply to the soil. If too little is added, crops will not produce as much as they should. If too much is added, or at the wrong time, excess nutrients will run off the fields and pollute streams and groundwater. So, while fertilizers serve an important purpose, farmers must be careful to use the right amount, at the right time, to avoid potential negative effects to the environment.

To stay healthy, humans need to acquire essential nutrients from many different food sources. The demand for food and other products from agricultural systems will increase over the next few decades. This means that we need to keep our soils healthy and full of nutrients in order to feed the growing population.                                                                                    

WATER IS HEART OF AGRICULTURE

                    Water is essential for agricultural production and food security. It is the lifeblood of ecosystems, including forests, lakes and wetlands, on which the food and nutritional security of present and future generations depends. Water of appropriate quality and quantity is essential for drinking and sanitary purposes and for food production (fisheries, crops and livestock), processing and preparation. Water is also important for the energy, industry and other economic sectors. Water streams and bodies are often key means of transport (including of inputs, food and feed). Overall, water supports economic growth and income generation and, therefore, economic access to food. As the global population heads for more than 9 billion people by 2050, demand for food is expected to surge by more than 50 percent. The world is rapidly becoming wealthier and more urbanized, and food preferences are changing to reflect this: the consumption of staple carbohydrates is on a declining trend while demand for high-value products such as milk, meat, fruits and vegetables – which, in many parts of the world, have much higher water footprints – is increasing. At the same time, competition for increasingly scarce land, water and energy resources is intensifying, further aggravated by the existential threat of climate change.

                    Climate change will have significant impacts on agriculture by increasing water demand, limiting crop productivity and reducing water availability in areas where irrigation is most needed or has a comparative advantage. Projections show a general reduction in precipitation in semiarid areas, an increase in precipitation in temperate zones, higher variability in rainfall distribution, an increase in the frequency of extreme events, and an increase in temperature. Reduced river base flows, increased flooding and rising sea levels are predicted to affect highly productive irrigated systems dependent on glacier melt (e.g. in the Punjab region, and Colorado) and lowland deltas (e.g. those of the Indus, Nile and Brahmaputra–Ganges–Meghna).

                    Agriculture is both a cause and a victim of water scarcity. The excessive use and degradation of water resources is threatening the sustainability of livelihoods dependent on water and agriculture. Inefficient and uncoordinated water use depletes aquifers, reduces river flows and degrades wildlife habitats, and it has caused salinization on 20 percent of the global irrigated land area. The inappropriate use of fertilizers and pesticides translate into water pollution, affecting rivers, lakes and coastal areas. The bulk of production in capture fisheries comes from coastal waters, where both the productivity and quality of fish stocks are severely affected by pollution, a great part of which comes from agricultural crop production, aquaculture and livestock.

SOIL EROSION IMPACT ON FARMING

                       Soil erosion is a naturally occurring process that affects all landforms. In agriculture, soil erosion refers to the wearing away of a field's topsoil by the natural physical forces of water and wind or through forces associated with farming activities such as tillage. Erosion, whether it is by water, wind, or tillage, involves three distinct actions – soil detachment, movement, and deposition. Topsoil, which is high in organic matter, fertility, and soil life, is relocated elsewhere "on-site" where it builds up over time or is carried "off-site" where it fills in drainage channels. Soil erosion reduces cropland productivity and contributes to the pollution of adjacent watercourses, wetlands, and lakes

 

                     Soil erosion can be a slow process that continues relatively unnoticed or can occur at an alarming rate, causing serious loss of topsoil. Soil compaction, low organic matter, loss of soil structure, poor internal drainage, salinization and soil acidity problems are other serious soil degradation conditions that can accelerate the soil erosion process.

Soil Erosion Prevention

1. Plant trees on barren lands to limit erosion of soil.
2. Add mulch and rocks to prevent the plants and grass underneath to prevent soil erosion.
3. Mulch matting can be used to reduce erosion on the slopes.
4. Put a series of fiber logs to prevent any water or soil from washing away.
5. A wall at the base of the slope can help in preventing the soil from eroding.
6. Every household should have a proper drainage system so that water flows down into proper water collecting systems.

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2. LARGE POPULATION AND LESS AGRICULTURE
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                       Agriculture is always been a vast topic to discuss for the growth of the economy and the dependency of the population over the system. India is a developing country and more than seventy-five percent population depends on agriculture in India. Being the second-largest populated country after China India has allied records of villagers and farmers that have not remained to fulfill the growth of the country. The overwhelming majority of the population lives in the country and did not get all the requirements of the daily needs. In this condition where agriculture supports the lives of the people that are also not fulfilling the whole needs of the farmers and other sector peoples. We have been covered with the rural areas and since the last past years, the rural sector is growing economically to upgrade the system of the nation.  According to the survey India has crossed one billion population ranks and is estimated to surpass the Population of China. Now, the biggest quest arises in the human mind that how agriculture in India will Support the lives of the Indian peoples especially of the background of the rural sector. Our nation is facing an intense problem of population outbursts. There are different kinds of problems that India is facing in regards to the shortage of food, climate change, energy crisis, malnutrition, and many more in severe conditions. While large population seems to have large problems in many ways. If in this condition the main source of ‘agriculture’ livelihood of the people is not prevented then it could be a major drawback for the country. In the rural sector, people are facing the problems like less drinking water, unemployment, less agriculture system, less production of crops, and many more.

                          India may be thriving economically, but it is still dogged by poverty and hunger. In the Global Hunger Index, India ranks 102nd out of the 117 qualifying countries. Forty-six million children in India remain stunted and 25.5 million more are defined as “wasted” — meaning they do not weigh enough for their height. India’s child wasting rate is extremely high at 20.8%—the highest wasting rate of any country. It is usually the result of acute significant food shortage and/or disease. Among countries in South Asia, India fares the worst (54%) on the prevalence of children under five who are either stunted, wasted or overweight. In India, poor supply chain management practices have led to as much wastage as the United Kingdom consumes. Research suggests that $1 spent on nutritional interventions in India could generate $34.1 to $38.6 in public economic returns, three times more than the global average.  

 - by GOWTHAM VARMA