My comment to JP’s blog on Nation on Wrong Track [http://southwerk.wordpress.com/2010/12/14/nation-on-wrong-track/#comments] is reproduced for the benefit of Recovery Indonesia @GoRECOVERY:
Yes all nations are in the wrong track. Quote from my book:”When the priority is already set, the hungry man accepts the inevitability of the human race which is non-reacting, non-acting, non-responding, inert-like entity. The change that is needed from a Government to shift the gear from advanced technology and space exploration to a mundane agricultural economy is a process very tough to implement in a short notice, even if one realizes that more than a billion people are below poverty line. Nuclear submarines, armaments, security initiatives of trillion dollar valued business enterprise have precedence over morality and therefore prudence is what the government feels they should adopt. Not because it is not the priority but effecting change in increasing the arable lands, increasing the yield per hectare, linking satellites facilities for better farming, conclusion on Genetically Modified seeds, advanced agricultural machinery, increasing the total agricultural production etc. involve a clear long-term strategy of many years to implement.
“The new pledge to commit $20 billion to global agricultural development.. has the potential to dramatically improve the livelihoods of more than 700 million of the world’s poor living in rural areas, so says Catherine Bertini, former executive director, UN World Food Program; and Dan Glickman, former secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture.” $20 billion is a minuscule amount, given the defense expenditure and the estimated sum tax evaders who have effectively squirreled away between 7 and 11 trillion dollars in safety deposit boxes and offshore bank accounts, as Lesley Curwen reports in BBC, it gives the state of affairs of the economy driven by forces beyond the control of the world governments. Agricultural production gets stagnated for years but world, if ever takes cognizance of increased production in agriculture, then the society as a whole has to be brought into action. The canvas is much larger, expansive, broad and comprehensive in its strategy to execute. Without involving many in the society it is conceptually difficult to materialize major results.” Unquote
Recent visit by Obama to India has again pushed defense equipment for sale that would at the most protect a few jobs. India is stagnated at 300 million tonnes agricultural produce for too long and there seems to be no strategy to scale up to 500 million tonnes. Leadership is very much needed lest those who remain hungry takes the leadership in their hands – at the street level.
Jayaraman Rajah Iyer
Cant agree more on the need for increased agri production. I can already see signs of it happening in Andhakdui, where scarcity of labour is leading to more mechanization. However, I think we need to be more holistic and pro-nature in our agri policy and should not simply copy the Western methods blindly.
For one, we need a comprehesive Agriculture, Land Management, Forest Management and WATER management policy. To it we need to add other perpheral areas like Poultry, Diary, Horticulture, Agri STORAGE, transportation and distribution. Looking at these in isolation will risk improving on one front and decline in the others.
Patrick Moyinham said that the Ganges belt if tapped well can feed the whole world. How can Humanity tolerate billion people go hungry every day? India should convert to Agricultural Economy with help from all nations particularly WATER management so that the world is rid of hunger.