eChapters

The proper supply of feed and fodder is a requirement for the growth and development of the animals. Over the past few decades, there has been a considerable growth in milk production, with India now producing the most milk in the world (187.7 million tones in 2018–19). The main causes of India’s low milk yield are extrinsic (poor nutrition/feed management) as well as intrinsic (low genetic potential).

Herd management practices in the handling, nutrition, milking techniques, sanitation, and housing of dairy animals play key roles in predisposing the individual animal as well as herds to diseases. The key factor influencing the reduction of health issues are the decisions made by herd managers or animal owners.In order to maximize output and profitability through disease control, herd management approaches in conjunction with a veterinarian programme can be most beneficial.

Dairy farmers are faced with a number of fundamental inquiries. The first inquires as to what dairy animal he needs to keep. Is the breed with the best production performance the one that has adapted to the local environment the most? What animal is the best, asks the second? Is it the one with a showwinning conformation or the one with a strong ancestry? Is the ideal dairy cow one that produces the most milk, has the best feet, legs, and udder support, or combines the performance of these characteristics in the best possible way?

India is home to an enormous number of buffalo. According to the 20th Livestock Census, more than 109 million buffaloes, or more than 56% of the world’s population, are living in India. With 20 recognized breeds, it also has a very diverse collection of buffalo genetics. One of the most well-known buffalo breeds in the world, the Murrah, is also found in India. The buffalo is a versatile animal that can be used for milk, meat, and draught. India is the world leader in this industry, producing 76% of the world’s buffalo milk.

The world’s greatest source of cow and buffalo diversity is India, and countries like Australia, South Africa, Latin America, and the USA employ Indian cattle breeds to grow their livestock industries. The number of cattle in the nation represents 17% of all cattle in the world. 22-25% of the Indian cow population is made up of the best native milk, draught, and dual-purpose animal genetics. The majority of local cattle breeds are excellent drafters. Native livestock breeds are clearly superior in their use of subpar feed, have better heat tolerance, and greater resistance to tropical diseases.

In India, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOH&FW), dealing with the subject of food quality and safety at the national level, has been designated the nodal ministry for maintaining food standards. The instrument for ensuring food quality and safety at the national level is through a legislation titled Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 (PFA) and Rules made there under as amended from time-to-time.

All across the world, the dairy industry is facing numerous problems and changes. Dairy development has received a considerable boost from factors including access to technical advancements, improvements in infrastructural facilities, and the development of modern marketing insights. It is interesting to see how the dairy sector is changing globally.

India has an enormous wealth of cattle, which is crucial to the development of the socioeconomic status of millions of rural households as well as the country’s economy. In addition to giving millions of people access to lowcost nutritious food, this industry plays a significant role in boosting family incomes and creating gainful employment in rural areas, notably among landless laborers, small and marginal farmers, and women.

The world’s largest population of milch cattle lives in India. In 2020, there were almost 906 million tones of milk produced worldwide, with India being the top producer with a 22 percent share. Annual Growth Rate of milk production in 2019-20 in India was 5.69 per cent. Highest growth rate in milk production was found to be 14.31 per cent in Karnataka. In 2021, the Indian dairy market had a value of INR 13,174 billion.

The oxygen content may be measured either chemically or electronically. The normal chemical method is the so-called Winkler method which is a titration method, consisting of adding certain chemicals to the water and observing a colour change which will be directly related to the oxygen concentration.

Material handling includes a number of operations that can be executed either by hand (manual) or by mechanical means or devices to convey material and to reduce the human drudgery.

The most common types of mechanical devices for grain handling are;

Harvesting is a complex operation that can be divided into three major parts, as follows:

Driving and concentrating the fish stock to the catch basin;

Lifting the fish out of the catch basin and placing them on a sorting table;

Sorting the fish and loading them on the transporting vehicle.

Filtration may be defined as the separation of a mixture or solution into component parts. The resulting components may be pure or may be solutions or mixtures. In water/wastewater treatment filtration technique is used for removing suspended solids, dissolved solids and organic matter.

The feeding is an important operation in aquaculture, it is the process of providing nutritious supplements or live feeds to the culture animal. The equipment used for this purpose is named as feeders. Equipment that is connected with fish feeding can be divided into three major groups, as follows

Aeration is the addition of oxygen or air containing oxygen to water. Any aquatic species important for commercial purpose requires oxygen. Even photosynthetic plants need oxygen when it is dark.

2.1 Need of aeration

Rise in atmospheric temperature causes increased rate of biological degradation of organic matters and subsequent depletion in dissolved O₂ concentration in water.

Pump is a mechanical device to increase the pressure energy of fluid. Aquacultural enterprises often find it necessary to move fluid against an energy gradient. Most commo n may be filling or emptying of tanks. For performing an assigned job, the best selection of pumps should be such that it should work at its peak efficiency. Unfortunately, there is only one head and discharge condition for each pump where the peak efficiency is obtained and therefore, it is rarely possible to achieve the highest efficiency for a pumping condition. Manufacturers cannot design and build so many varieties of pumps to meet all operating conditions. They have therefore, settled upon some standard designs which are generally required for most of the head and discharge conditions.

Agriculture is a fundamental human activity that depends intrinsically on natural processes, including soil fertility, water recycling, and pollination, and both nature and agriculture are increasingly suffering the negative impacts of climate change (EEA, 2019). At the same time, unsustainable agriculture also poses a major threat to biodiversity (Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, 2014), negatively affects the state of our soil and water, and is an important contributor to climate change (Jia et al., 2019).

Climate change is a long-lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather pattern triggered by greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. It is caused by natural factors like continental drift, volcanoes, earth’s tilt, and ocean current or manmade factors like urbanization, industrialization, burning of fossil fuel, deforestation and faulty agricultural practices.

Conservation Agriculture Conservation agriculture is an approach to managing agro-ecosystems, for improved and sustained productivity, increased profits and food security while preserving and enhancing the resource base and the environment. It is a set of technologies, including minimum disturbance, permanent soil cover, diversified crop rotations, and integrated weed management (Reicosky and Saxena, 2007; Hobbs et al., 2008, Friedrich et al., 2012).

Food security is achieved when adequate food is available and accessible and satisfactorily used and utilized by all individuals to live a healthy and active life. But food and nutrition security is achieved when people have physical, economic and social access to food of sufficient quantity in terms of variety, diversity, nutrient content and safety to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for a healthy and active life coupled with sanitary environment, adequate health and education care. In order to achieve food and nutrition security there is a need for transitioning toward nutrition sensitive food system.

Natural resources are naturally occurring resources which can be exploited for economic gain. They include raw materials such as fuels, minerals and metals, soil, water, air, sunlight, land, biomass and ecosystems. Natural resources also include living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) materials. Natural resources are gifts of nature for the humankind.

Farming system is a complex inter-related matrix of soil, plants, animals, implements, power, labour, capital and other inputs controlled in part by farm families and influenced by varying degrees of political, economic, institutional and social forces that operate at many levels. In farming system there is integration of farm enterprises such as cropping systems, animal husbandry, fisheries, forestry, sericulture, poultry etc.

Insects and mites that damage crops, pathogens that cause diseases in plants, weeds that compete with field crops for nutrients and water, plants that choke irrigation channels or drainage systems, rodents that eat young plants and grain, and birds that eat seedlings or stored foodstuffs are all crop pests. As plants were domesticated and grown, increasingly in monoculture, the potential damage caused by their co-evolved pests and disease pathogens were realised.

Soil, climate and water decide the nature of crop to be grown in a particular region. While soil and climate can be manipulated to certain extent, there is no substitute of water. Water is governed by the hydrological cycle. The major source of water is rainfall which has been reduced over the years due to climate change. The per capita water availability in India was 4944 m3 in 1955 which has been reduced to 1750 m³ now and is expected to come down to 1500 m³ by 2025.

Soil is made up of minerals, organic matter, gases, liquids and micro-organisms in different proportions. It provides anchorage to plants. It is important for life as it provides the medium for the growth of a plant, habitat for several insects and other organisms. Soil is a store house of nutrients, micro-organisms, air and water. It is the source of four essential ‘living’ factors including food, clothes, shelter, and medicines.

Alternative agriculture is a production system that follows the concept of agroecology and does not use conventional methods. Natural farming, Bio-dynamic farming, Organic farming, Permaculture, Homa farming and many others are considered as alternative agriculture. In spite of some differences, these practices aim at preserving the environment and minimise the use or avoid synthetic agrochemicals. They rely on natural cycles, by using crop rotations, cover crops or no-tillage, etc.

Modern farming system was aimed to maximise crop production by use of high yielding crop varieties or hybrids and application of agro-chemicals like fertilisers and pesticides along with irrigation and better crop production technologies. But without consideration of its impact on the environment and economics of the farmers, the monoculture of rice and wheat with agro-chemicals caused land degradation, soil and water contamination, gene erosion and environmental pollution.

Agriculture depends mainly on natural resources like land situation, soil, water and a favourable climate. Continuous agricultural practices adopted without conservation of such precious resources may lead to unsustainability of growth in agriculture. Conservation of these resources and their sustainable use with appropriate measures would be required for a sustainable agriculture.

The market research process is equally critical to rural marketing as to urban marketing because of two main reasons:

• The marketer has a limited understanding of the rural/urban consumer
• The marketer who is urban-oriented may need to find different ways to understand the decision variables in the urban market.

The communication which is the core of the Communication Mix plays an important role in promoting the product to the outside world and especially to the target market. In the marketing of rural products, application of latest, innovative and enhanced technologies is crucial for effective communication with urban consumers. This also helps in conveying the features of rural products. The adoption of the latest technologies ensures the economic well-being of the rural marketers by increasing the reach of the products and in creating awareness about the product. The technology helps in faster dissemination of the rural product information to the consumer.

There are many distribution networks which an organization may use depending upon the nature and usage of the product. Generally, there are two types of distribution networks which are being widely used the first is direct selling to the customer and the second is to have intermediaries in between which ensures that the product is available to the final consumer. In this indirect method the company is not in direct touch with the customer and this gap is filled by the middleman. The middleman not only provides the product to the customer but he also provides continuous feedback to the organization about the product and market demands. 

A marketing strategy of a business is the game plan of an organization for approaching its target market effectively. Marketing strategy is also used to target the prospective customer and converting them into loyal consumers for the brand and services being offered by the companies.

A marketing strategy is the building block of a marketing plan and consists of the value which the company wants to offer, its key message which the company wants to convey to the target market and other elements which are key in the area of marketing.

India is known for its heritage and diaspora has 6,40,867 villages with a population of aprox 120 crore people which is about 66.46 % of the population. The villages in India have always remained neglected and never tried to market their products to urban consumers. But the rise in incomes of the Indian urban consumers and the increased awareness due to technological advancement it leads to the growth of the Indian consumer market which became attractive for the Indian as well as foreign companies. The efforts by Indian Government for rural products contributed to the development of rural products and their marketing. 

Agriculture marketing and Rural marketing are two words used interchangeably by the people at large with the study of agriculture and management discipline. India is known to the world for its agricultural growth through the green revolution. India is an agriculture-based and oriented economy with approximately six and a half lakh villages predominantly involved in agricultural and agri-based activities. Rural India is termed as the backbone of the Indian economy and it contributes significantly to the economy and to its GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in terms of providing food grains (Cereals and Pulses), vegetables, and fruits which are essential ingredients for human life.

Cloud-based software is used for the management of financial and field activities of farms. Prior to computers, farmers maintained data manually by keeping lengthy records on papers. This method was prone to human calculation errors. After the computer boom in the 1980s, it was not long before finance software such as Money Counts came to market. 

Smart Farming is a hi-tech and effective system of doing agriculture and growing food in a sustainable way. It is an application of implementing connected devices and innovative technologies together into agriculture. Smart Farming majorly depends on IoT thus eliminating the need of physical work of farmers and growers and thus increasing the productivity in every possible manner.

With the recent agriculture trends dependent on agriculture, Internet of Things has brought huge benefits like efficient use of water, optimization of inputs and many more. 

Since the industrial revolution in the 1800s, automation got more advanced to efficiently handle sophisticated tasks and increase production. With increasing demands and shortage of labor across the globe, agriculture robots or commonly known as Agribots are starting to gain attention among farmers. Crop production decreased by an estimated 213 crores approx ($3.1 billion) a year due to labor shortages in the USA alone. Recent advancements in sensors and AI technology that lets machines train on their surroundings have made agrobots more notable. We are still in the early stages of an ag-robotics revolution, harnessing the full potential of the Internet of Things in agriculture, with most of the products still in early trial phases and R&D mode.

Easykrishi is a young enterprise that uses digital interventions with an aim to change agricultural practices from Reactive Mode to Proactive Mode. It is a consortium of 12 FPOs and 150 Ground Organizations. 14 In a world of declining land-holdings, we realize aggregation of agricultural resources is the only way to keep this planet sustainable for human survival. Aggregation ensures viability and profitability of Agriculture. Easykrishi’s baby steps in the entire cycle of aggregation of agricultural resources have made significant impact for Food Producer Corporations across Karnataka and they have made a mark on organizations and individuals that are dedicated for the betterment of Agriculture and farmers.

The goal of sustainable agriculture is to meet society’s food and textile needs in the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Practitioners of sustainable agriculture seek to integrate three main objectives into their work: a healthy environment, economic profitability, and social and economic equity. Every person involved in the food system—growers, food processors, distributors, retailers, consumers, and waste managers—can play a role in ensuring a sustainable agricultural system.

Although “e-agriculture” and other initiatives to bridge the rural digital divide were already underway around the world, the Community (and the term “e-agriculture”) emerged following the World Summits on the Information Society in 2003 and 2005. The WSIS global participants recognized that when addressing the challenges of the digital divide, particularly in the context of rural livelihoods, problems extend beyond technology. It is a multifaceted problem characterized by ineffective knowledge exchange and information content management, as well as a lack of human resources, institutional capacity, and sensitivity to gender and the diverse needs of various groups. With WSIS participants identifying and naming “e-agriculture” as a key action line to address the Millennium Development Goals, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) was tasked with leading the development and subsequent facilitation activities that would truly engage stakeholders at all levels.

Technology spurs Agricultural productivity through various scientific methods and innovations which is evidenced by the success of the Green revolution leading to agricultural development.

The Green Revolution arrived in India in 1968 and had a remarkable impact on the world of agriculture by increasing production yield by 2.5 times, amounting to approximately 2 billion tones, which has been noted as the world’s highest growth rate in the agriculture sector. Because of the science and technologies used in the form of

Kautilya or Chanakya - probably the world’s first Management Guru who was well known for his management models and strategies - is not the first strategist or author to write the Arthashastra. There were lot of gurus - purva acharyas - and leaders before him. Chanakya studied them all and compiled them into one book known as Kautilya’s Arthashastra. The book was written centuries ago when the country was ruled by kings. But Chanakya had so much wisdom and foresight that, each time you read it, you will discover something new, something different.

The world has changed so much since he wrote the book. We are in the digital age now. But the basic principles haven’t changed. They are eternal. Even almost 2300 years later, we all want the same thing - we want to live a healthy life, a life that has quality. And Chanakya tells you exactly how to do that.

Across the globe, leadership is a subject of serious discussion, study, and research. Universities now have centers of leadership. Many times, in an organization, the members become specialized in their particular field and department but they miss out on the complete picture. The leadership ideas of Chanakya give an insight into some strategic sutras which are simple and easy to understand yet powerful and impactful when applied. Chanakya’s futuristic and time tested sutras relating to Philosophy and Ethics, Thought leadership, Qualities of a leader and Power and Responsibility, etc. will be explored in this chapter.

The use of drones, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), in the agriculture sector has ushered in a new era of precision farming. These versatile flying machines equipped with advanced sensors and cameras have the potential to transform various agricultural activities, resulting in increased productivity, reduced costs, and more sustainable practices.

This chapter explores the history of drones, their components and functioning, the numerous agriculture activities where drones can be employed, the benefits they offer, real-world use cases, challenges in adoption, and possible solutions to fully realize their potential in the agriculture sector.

Blockchain technology has emerged as a revolutionary solution in various industries, and agriculture is no exception. By providing a secure and transparent system for recording and verifying transactions, blockchain has the potential to transform the agricultural sector. In this chapter, we will explore the role of blockchain in agriculture, its benefits, and various use cases that demonstrate its potential. Additionally, we will present key statistics and real- world examples to illustrate the impact of blockchain in agriculture.

In case of proprietorship business, the individual proprietor generally invests his own savings to start with, and may borrow money on his personal security or the security of his assets from others. Similarly, the capital of a partnership firm consists partly of funds contributed by the partners and partly of borrowed funds. But the company from of organization enables the promoters to raise necessary funds from the public who may contribute capital and become members (share holders) of the company. In course of its business, the company can raise loans directly from banks and financial institutions or by issue of securities (debentures) to the public. Besides, profits earned may also be reinvested instead of being distributed as dividend to the shareholders.

Thus for any business enterprise, there are two sources of finance, viz, funds contributed by owners and funds available from loans and credits. In other words the financial resources of a business may be own funds and borrowed funds.

Agricultural finance generally means studying, examining and analyzing the financial aspects pertaining to farm business, which is the core sector of India. The financial aspects include money matters relating to production of agricultural products and their disposal.

The word “Credit” is derived from a Latin word “Credo”, meaning “I Believe”. The Latin verb “credere” means “to repose confidence in”. Note that borrowing is a function of ability to command capital or services currently with a promise to repay it in future i.e. obtaining certain amounts of money as loan to be rapid as specified in the Agreement between the concerned parties. Credit means the ability to command other peoples’ capital in return for a promise to repay at some specified time in future. It is therefore the combination of the “ability to borrow” and “willingness to borrow”.

According to the Indian economic survey of 2018, more than 50% of the Indian workforce is employed in the agricultural sector. Agriculture contributed to 17–18% to the country’s GDP. Agriculture’s share in India’s economy is less compared to the industrial and services sectors. The industrial and service sectors have higher growth rates. The significance of the agricultural sector in India’s economic and social growth goes well beyond. Nearly 60% of India’s families depend on rural incomes. In addition to this, the majority of India’s poor population (around 70 %) lives in rural areas. Also, as the population is growing at a fast rate, food security in India depends on producing cereal crops and in increasing the production of fruits, vegetables and milk to sustain the needs of a growing population. To achieve this we need a productive, diversified, competitive, and sustainable agricultural sector. India is the world’s largest producer of pulses, spices and milk. It has the world’s largest cattle herd and the largest area under wheat, rice, and cotton. India is also the second largest producer of rice, wheat, cotton, sugarcane, farmed fish, sheep & goat meat, fruit, vegetables and tea.