The Green Agriculture Project- A hope for future

Problems 

Agriculture is the need of human being, however it brought its own consequences. There have been issues associated with unsustainable agriculture like land degradation, climate change, Deforestation and loss of biodiversity.

The challenge remains to reduce the problems and turn agriculture into sustainable agriculture.  

Unsustainable agricultural practices can not be ignored any further as these will have social, economical and environmental degradation, while sustainable agriculture will set harmony with nature. 

Around the globe for sustainable agriculture, there are less efforts, however there are indirect and connected conventions which have been into practices like The convention on biological diversity. 

The convention on Biological Diversity- Globally

This is often seen as a way to sustainable development. The convention on Biological Diversity entered into force on December 1993 at the earth summit in Rio de Janerio on June 5, 1992. 

This is associated with "a common concern of humankind"  and it covers all ecosystems, species, and genetic resources. 

The most important part is that the convention reminds policy makers that natural resources are not infinite and sets up the philosophy of sustainable use.

 It has conventions to protect plants as well according to the declaration of Gran Canaria Declaration, which aimed at slowing down the plant extinctions around the world by 2010. 

This convention also provide National Biodiversity Strategy and Action plans(NBSAP) as a helping tool for the countries.  Not only that according to the article 26 of the convention, countries prepare national reports of the implementation of the convention which hugely insist upon the 'sustainable use of natural resources"

So, the work of the convention is - 

-The conservation of biological diversity.

-The suitable use of components of biological diversity

-The fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.

 The convention has 196 parties, which includes 195 states and the European union. All UN member states- except US— the US has signed but not ratified the treaty.

Note- India is signatory to the convention on Biological Diversity.

India's Effort for Green Agriculture

India’s national biodiversity action plan (NBAP) recognizes the importance of biodiversity for inclusive development. India enacted the Biological Diversity Act in 2002, and section 36  empowers the central government to develop national strategies, plans or programmes for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and to integrate biodiversity concerns into relevant sectors. As four of the 55 biodiversity hotspots are in India, it is biodiversity – rich.

What is green agriculture project?

Indian government have implemented Green Agriculture project with Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). It’s a novel approach to support the NBAP and boost the biodiversity conservation, agriculture production and development. 

It is being implemented in five landscapes adjoining project Areas or biodiversity reserves: Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand. It envisages a transformation in Indian agriculture for global environment benefits by addressing land degradation, climate change mitigation, sustainable forest management, and biodiversity conservation.

Read About _Aerosoles

The Need and Importance

Biodiversity conservation is an important part of the nature. The aim of this project is to restore traditional knowledge system, such as the conservation of common property resources. Including Orana of Rajasthan and the village safety and supply in Mizoram. Traditional farming system crop diversity is also a crucial part of the project.

India plays important role in agriculture and farming sector. India gave world various types of crops such as rice, chickpea, pigeon pea, mango and eggplant. However, with the focus on policies that cater to market demands, its reservoir of indigenous traditional crops has reduced. Most keepers of these crop genetic diversity are smallholder farmers, including women. The approach will be to strengthen their role as geodiversity guardians by developing value chains for their indigenous crops such traditional rice varieties in Odisha.

Concerns

The major concern is man- animal conflicts because these places which are chosen for the project have very rich biodiversity. This can affect animal kingdom. Human have been always a reason of destruction. Poaching and hunting are also a reason of man-animal conflicts. Especially in Odisha and Uttarakhand.