• Jyothi D
• Dr Danangaya K B

Agriculture is the foundation of the civilization, culture and heritage of India. About half of the Indians derive their livelihood from agriculture and allied activities. It is one of the oldest systems of the world characterized by its diversity and heterogeneity, unorganized and stressed on account of natural and anthropogenic vagaries from ‘seed to market’. Historically, stressed natural resources due to unfavourable weather, monsoon and natural calamities resulted in crop failures leading to food shortage that made serious impacts on the civilization. Post-Independence, the Indian agriculture transformed from a food-scarce to food-exporting country primarily due to science led innovations that caused multifold increase in the agricultural production from 135 million tons in 1950/51 to over 1300 million tons in 2021/22 in spite of increasing abiotic and biotic stresses and depleting alongwith deteriorating natural resources. India has about 160 Mhaof arable land, second largest after the United States of America and experiences all the15 prominent climates with 46 out of 60 soil-types that exist on the earth. About 50% ofits total geographical area is cultivated which ranks it among the top user of the land foragriculture. It is the critical sector of economy for the sustainable and inclusive economic growth of the country. The sector engages 49.6% of the workforce, often seasonally, under-employed,under-paid and accounts for about 17% share in India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Vrikshayurveda discusses the science ofplant life such as procuring, preserving and treating of seeds before planting; selection ofsoil and nourishment; and plant protection from internal and external diseases. In the co-existence of uncertainties of weather and declining soil health, increasing atmospheric temperature and emergence of more virulent pests and pathogens, the science-led agricultural development transformed India from an acutely food-scarce and food shortage to food sufficient to food surplus and food exporting country. The overall food grain production increased from 51Mt in 1950-51 to over 314 Mt in 2021-22. The production of food grains increased over 6 times, horticultural crops by 11 times, fish by 18 times, milk by 10 times and eggs by 53 times since 1950-51, thus making a visible impact on the national food and nutritional security (Pathak and Ayyappan 2020). However, amongst the few sectors that made impressive progress during past 75 years of India’ independence, agriculture is confidently the one. This has been proven time and again when all the sectors fall short, agriculture came as saviour. The recent performance during global pandemic COVID-19 is the best testimony.

Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav – Agriculture Sector of the economy and its performance

"Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav – Agriculture Sector of the economy and its performance", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.9, Issue 12, page no.e433-e441, December-2022, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2212460.pdf

"Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav – Agriculture Sector of the economy and its performance", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.9, Issue 12, page no. ppe433-e441, December-2022, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2212460.pdf