The postmodern scenario for agriculture will continue to be scientifically propelled with Biotechnology, nanotechnology, Artificial Intelligence, remote sensing, communication technology and such frontier disciplines. Management at the level of agricultural landscapes and watersheds will be increasingly relevant. The multifunctional character of agriculture with its economic, environmental and social dimensions is already coming to the centre-stage.  Hence the postmodern agricultural strategy is based on Sustainable Agriculture.

The need

• Wheat and rice monocultures are replacing the variety of traditional farming practises.
• Nutrition has suffered as a result of genetic uniformity, which has increased sensitivity to biotic and abiotic pressures.
• Modern agriculture, which is built on science-driven technology and is symbolised by the Green Revolution, is today seen as a two-edged sword. In order to triple foodgrain output, nitrogenous fertiliser use in India increased tenfold, along with increased use of agrochemicals and increased reliance on fossil fuel generation. Agriculture accounts for 18% of total greenhouse gas emissions in the country.
• Our soil organic matter level is among the lowest in Asia, owing to rapidly vanishing groundwater aquifers and 35 percent land degradation.
• Postmodern agriculture, which is based on the concept of agricultural sustainability, opposes monocultural production models. Its core is entrenched in the proclamation of the Second Green Revolution, also known as the Evergreen Revolution. There are several farming techniques available today for increasing agricultural production while using less land, water, and energy. Their methods boost productivity while restoring soil fertility, refilling water quality, increasing biodiversity, and preserving intergenerational equity.
• One of the eight objectives of the National Action Plan on Climate Change is the National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture, which aims to attain SA.

How to achieve sustainable agricultural practices

• Conservation agriculture is practised on around two million hectares, particularly in the wheat-rice area of India. It solves inefficient water, nutrient, and energy utilisation. Zero tillage, laser levelling, crop sequencing, precision irrigation, the adoption of stress-tolerant and climate-resilient cultivars, and crop residue retention rather than burning are among its practises. Conservation agriculture, on the other hand, has struggled to gain traction in rainfed areas.
• Zero-Budget Natural Farming takes a back-to-basics approach to chemical-free farming with leguminous intercrops, employing traditional in-situ plant extracts and animal wastes to boost soil fertility and crop output while lowering cultivation expenses. Andhra Pradesh is leading the way, with a goal of incentivizing six million farmers to implement this on eight million hectares by 2024. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research is testing ZBNF’s science (ICAR).
• Agroforestry’s 25 million hectares of tree-based agricultural systems produce fruit, fodder, fuel, fibre, and lumber while benefiting the environment through nutrient recycling, carbon storage, biodiversity preservation, soil and water conservation, and soil and water conservation. It increases farmer resilience by improving income, nutrition, and crop failure insurance.
• SRI (Systems of Rice Intensification) emphasises getting more out of less. It harnesses the biological and genetic capacity of plants and soil to enhance rice yields by 20-50 percent while using 25-50 percent less water, 30-40 percent less agrochemicals, and 80-90 percent less seed. Under SRI, the National Food Security Mission envisioned five million hectares. SRI coverage is estimated to be half a million hectares.
• Organic farming is practised on just 2% of the net farmed area. 70% of coverage is provided through the National Programme for Organic Production. Despite the fact that the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana was launched in 2015, organic agricultural growth has been poor. Sikkim, on the other hand, was designated as an organic state in 2016.
• Climate-smart agriculture, permaculture, regenerative agriculture, biodynamic cultivation, vertical farming, and hydroponics are further small-scale approaches.

Challenges

• Several sustainable agriculture programmes and practises have been adopted for almost two decades by federal and state governments, development banks, non-governmental organisations, the corporate sector, and agri-entrepreneurial start-ups. However, according to a 2021 study by the Council of Energy, Environment, and Water, fewer than 4% of farms had implemented sustainable agriculture techniques.
• There appears to have been no recent comprehensive assessment of sustainable agriculture by public organisations such as the National Sample Survey Organization or the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office of NITI Aayog. Clearly, well-intentioned policies and goals do not always translate into large-scale and quick acceptance on the ground.

 Way forward

• United Nations (UN) Ecosystem Restoration Decade of 2021-2030, which calls for adopting revolutionary reforms toward a green recovery that fosters resilient production and consumption systems.
• Creating templates to track sustainable agriculture progress by taking into account both productivity and environmental costs and benefits; and, Creating a regime of mandates and deliverables that will be thoroughly reviewed in the short and long term.
• A comprehensive evaluation of various sustainable agriculture programmes and techniques, as well as their acceptance by farmers.
• Developing a framework for a better understanding of sustainable agriculture ‘s multifunctionality in various agroclimatic zones
• To preserve sustainable agriculture and enhance resource efficiency, the agricultural industry will require scientific advancements and cutting-edge technologies.

How to structure

1. Give an intro about by post- modern agriculture
2. Explain the features of it
3. Discuss the need for it in and how to achieve
4. Mention challenges faced
5. Conclude

Reference:

1. https://www.hindustantimes.com/opinion/for-a-post-covid-19-india-the-need-for-postmodern-agriculture-101630672699638.html