Agriculture is a dominating occupation across globe and most important livelihood means at least for people living in developing nations.
Lot of innovative technologies are being evolved across the disciplines which have vast potential & applicabilities irrespective of discipline, where and for which it is developed.
What is needed is a fast Imagination, Recognition , Budding, Espousing, Expansion, and Penetration up to end client.
What I feel, is that ' It is being relatively slow in agricultural domain, where people still remains hesitant to change mind set, to have trust in new technology, to take risk..and they just wait and watch other sectors making faster experimentation in this regard. Life of technologies is shorter now a days, so by that time that technology gone...and so on..
Its a burning issue in my mind, looking into the prevailing situation of farmers specifically in tropical regions, where agriculture is still being taken as an art ...art of growing grains/crops to cater the feeding needs....not the smart business to grow income and live life of high standards...
I know its an unusual question..but I invite valuable feeds to enrich mine sphere ...
Hi, Mr. M L Gaur,
Only some short reasons:
- Agriculture is more traditional than the most of industrial activities.
- In agriculture It's not easy to find correct connection between the results of innovation and the profitability of production.
- The agricultural innovation efforts are much more risky than in the industry, because of ecological and wheather conditions.
Yes Istvan,
But I only partly agree. In present days agriculture is at cross roads. it has the extreme potential for being designated as biggest industry to cater items and services related to food and happy living environment. We need to change our mind sets from grassroot level to high policy makers and be more ready to accept and grasp technological innovations at same pace what other sectors are doing. Time has gone to do agriculture for meeting eating demands, its time for redesignating farmers as real agricultural business persons and harvest benefits , which are away from them because of enormous middlemen or breached policy links.
I guess the precision agriculture has reached many places in our world so, the application of hi tech in agriculture is on since long time may be in some countries, and new in others.
Having your smart device mobile or Ipad or any other smart devices, you can manage or monitor various activities in agriculture.
This is not only a problem in developing countries! In Australia, the grazing livestock industries have shown only about 5% improvement over the last 100 years, in contrast to cropping or intensive livestock. As identified by Istvan, traditions ate involved, and traditions differ among industries, even within the same brain! My father was a farmer and he was at the forefront of technology for cropping, but caught in the 1800s in sheep management. My view is that our models of agricultural extension are hopelessly out of date. In the "Fourth Generation" model of extension, farmers are engaged from the beginning and they are surveyed for their 'felt needs' (i.e., asked what they personally want for themselves, their family and their industry). This is the beginning of a process in which the famers 'own' the science and so therefore become enthusiastic adopters.
Martin
your reaction is really of excellence cadre. I totally agree and would like to put some thing from mine own exposure. For about 8 years (out of 32 years professional experience) I had been working with pastures , grasslands and rangelands of India, where I personally found ( while traversing & discussing farmers) that on such lands or in such farmers who deals with grasses, pastures, forests there is more inherent traditional knowledge towards resource conservation technologies , as compare to agrarian sector farmers. But there is negligible penetration of technologies. Two big reasons could be,
(1) we scientists do believe in only our language, knowledge and thoughts, and do not give equal values and importance to traditional knowledge and exposures those farmers have with them since generations. yes their language is not easily understandable to us, we need an effective zeal and transformation bridge, which is totally lacking ..the very 1st reason why no ample and effective exchange of knowledge ..and so the low penetration of technology.
(2) Our technology transfer and extension links and agencies are extremely poor with poor linkages to deliver the end results what they really expected to do. Mass of experts working in this sector, they them selves only partially knows the depths of technologies ..how they transfer?...Yes the solution or the prospects could be use of modern dissemination technologies like IT & ICT tools to bridge the gap and integrate traditional knowledge and modern scientific knowledge and offer a blend of palatable bouquets of technologies to end clients and thus improvise the real penetration of technology.
Thanks for your good twist on my basic question...I hope i was within the course of discussion...
thanks again
We are on the same page! I always tells my students to listen carefully to the observations of farmers (they are very observant of their environment, their soil, plants and animals), but do no believe their interpretation of those observations. With respect to failure of extension, you are right ... it is about training. Extension and technology uptake are professional areas that require deep training in adult education.
I have been carrying the same concern myself. There is need for deeper investment in extension & technology transfer. In agriculture, the Government will continue to play a lead role. Large scale demonstrations are also required. There is so much of innovation happening, but they are confined to small geographies and not being replicated & multiplied.
Emmanuel Vijayanand Murray
I am extremely happy to see your views on this sensitive point.
I am more happy to see that a person like from reserve bank of india has concerns on it. so i am gratified for your concerns. Yes I fully agree with you . so much innovation is there on the globe. Globe is now not a globe but it has transformed into a village the single village, where any one can contact and share with any body at any time on any issue. But what we are missing is our inner values, commitment, attachment, sincerity, and real dedication towards those poor end clients of agrarian sector, most of which are still hungry thirsty and poor. they need their due level of food, water and money. Only technology and education can provide it. I have plethora of idea to discus on it, specially with a people and person in financial notches like you...well i will..thanks ..wish you good luck ..pl keep alive your views and concerns towards our farmers ...
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