In the face of climate change, agriculture’s success must shift from merely maximising yield to also improving nutrition, sustaining livelihoods, enhancing biodiversity, and safeguarding the environment.

Historical Background

• Ensuring Food Security: In independent India, focusing on yield was crucial for food security and preventing hunger, but this need has evolved.
• Land as a Resource: Historically, yield maximisation centred on the belief that land was the scarcest resource in agriculture, but now other resources are also becoming scarce.
  • Emerging Scarcity of Other Resources: Today, the depletion of critical inputs like water, plant nutrition etc. shows that a sole focus on yield is no longer sufficient.  

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Negative Impacts of Yield Maximization

• Economic sustainability risks: Focusing solely on maximising crop yields can harm farmers’ economic sustainability. This often leads to diminishing returns and increased costs for inputs like fertilisers.
• Neglect of Nutritional Quality: The pursuit of higher yields has overshadowed the importance of the nutritional quality of food. 
  • A study by ICAR found that high-yield rice and wheat have lost essential micronutrients, with zinc levels down 33% in rice and 30% in wheat, and iron levels down 27% in rice and 19% in wheat.
  • Plant breeders are not required to share the nutritional information of new grain varieties which could be contributing to widespread micronutrient deficiencies. 
• Misconception About Income: It’s commonly believed that maximising yields increases farmers’ income, but due to an 80% decline in crop response to fertilisers since the 1970s, farmers must use more inputs to achieve the same yields, raising costs.
• Seasonal Output Limitations: Focusing on yield may boost seasonal outputs but often overlooks the benefits of intercropping, which can enhance overall nutritional output and profits throughout the year. 
  • A study from Andhra Pradesh showed that intercropping sugarcane with chilli, eggplant, tomato, and coriander provides year-round stable income and enhances profitability.
• Biodiversity Loss: Prioritising a few high-yield seed varieties has led to significant biodiversity loss.
  • Since the Green Revolution, India has lost about 104,000 rice varieties, which reduces agricultural resilience, especially in the face of climate change.
  • Local varieties often show greater resilience to extreme weather.
• Decline of Nutritious Crops: The emphasis on high-yield crops has led to a decline in resilient and nutritious options, like millets, which have lost 10 million hectares of cultivation since the 1950s. 
  • Meanwhile, rice and wheat have gained significant land, reducing dietary diversity and contributing to micronutrient deficiencies.
• Persistent Hunger and Malnutrition: Despite increases in food production, India ranks low at 105 on the Global Hunger Index, indicating issues with food security. 
  • Hidden hunger persists, with 35% of children stunted and two-thirds affected by anaemia.

Suggestions for a Holistic Agricultural Approach

• Collaborative Indicator Development: Agriculture indicators should be created together by the Ministries of Health, Agriculture, Water, and Environment to reflect the interconnectedness of food systems and natural resources.
• Outcome-Focused Metrics: Indicators must directly measure outcomes like nutritional security, such as nutritional output per hectare annually.
• Mainstreaming Critical Metrics: Include metrics for soil biological activity, water-use efficiency, and farm biodiversity in standard assessments, like soil organic carbon in health cards.
• Innovative Projects: Initiatives like the AI-powered ‘Saagu Baagu’ in Telangana improve water-use efficiency and biodiversity through real-time data for irrigation and crop management.
• Comprehensive Diversity Measurements: Evaluate both farm-level crop diversity and implement a ‘Landscape Diversity Score’ to assess regional diversity and income diversification, enhancing resilience against price shocks and pest attacks.

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Conclusion

We must shift from solely maximising yields to prioritising nutritional quality, biodiversity, and resource sustainability in agriculture. This holistic approach ensures a resilient food system that supports health, livelihoods, and environmental protection for future generations.

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