Agriculture (UPSC) (Part-I)

About the National Livestock Mission
The National Livestock Mission (NLM) is an initiative by the Government of India launched in 2014-15 to promote sustainable and inclusive growth in the livestock sector. It aims to improve livestock productivity, create rural employment, and enhance the quality of animal-based products. The mission emphasizes poultry, small ruminants (sheep and goats), and non-conventional livestock (rabbits and mithun), focusing on their breeding, feeding, and management. Key components of the NLM include:

• Livestock Development: Improving genetic quality and animal health.
• Feed and Fodder Development: Ensuring adequate and nutritious livestock feed.
• Skill Development and Technology Transfer: Training farmers and promoting modern livestock management practices.

• India produces two types of coffee: Arabica and Robusta.

  • Coffee is predominantly an export oriented commodity and 65% to 70% of coffee produced in the country is exported.

• Areas: Coffee is traditionally grown in the Western Ghats spread over Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

  • It is also grown in the nontraditional areas of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha as well as in the North East states.

• Leading States: Karnataka leads in coffee production, followed by Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

• India produces two types of coffee: Arabica and Robusta.

  • Coffee is predominantly an export oriented commodity and 65% to 70% of coffee produced in the country is exported.

• Areas: Coffee is traditionally grown in the Western Ghats spread over Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

  • It is also grown in the nontraditional areas of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha as well as in the North East states.

• Leading States: Karnataka leads in coffee production, followed by Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

The key aspects of soil conservation are as follows:

• Preventing Erosion – Techniques such as terracing, contour ploughing, and planting ground cover help reduce soil erosion caused by wind and water.
• Maintaining Soil Fertility – Practices like crop rotation, cover crops, and organic amendments help replenish soil nutrients and enhance its structure, promoting soil conservation.
• Improving Soil Structure – Methods such as reduced tillage and adding organic matter help maintain soil structure, which improves water infiltration, reduces compaction and enhances soil conservation.
• Managing Soil Moisture – Techniques to conserve soil moisture include mulching and proper irrigation practices to prevent waterlogging or drought.
• Preventing Pollution – Soil conservation efforts also involve minimising contamination from pollutants and chemicals that can degrade soil health.

• Special Crops: The scheme will popularize the productivity of rice, wheat, pulses, coarse cereals, and nutri-cereals. Several components also consider jute, cotton, and sugarcane as commercial crops.
• Eco-Friendly approaches support the sustainable agricultural practices, such as integrated nutrient management and integrated pest management, which conserve the environment while boosting agricultural productivity.
• Area Increment: The goal was to expand the area with target crops, especially in areas with untapped potential, so as to fill in gaps of production.
• Productivity Increase: It promotes the use of new technology, high-yielding varieties, agricultural machinery, and irrigation systems for increasing productivity of the crop.
• Capacity Development: The farmers are trained in best practices and the management of resources to the application of new technologies in the enhancement of efficiency and productivity on input and output.
• Support and Incentives: Finance is extended for critical inputs like seeds, fertilizers, and machinery. The development of local infrastructure would encompass custom hiring centers and seed banks.
• Inclusive Approach: Small and marginal farmers, women farmers, and farmers in backward areas get special attention to mitigate socio-economic inequalities.

Cotton Cultivation in India

• Cotton cultivation in India plays a crucial role in the country’s agricultural economy and textile industry.
• India is one of the largest producers of cotton globally, with major cultivation areas in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.
• The crop thrives in warm climates, ideally requiring temperatures between 21-30°C and well-drained loamy soils.
• Typically grown as a Kharif crop, cotton is sown in June-July and harvested from November to February.

• Ethanol (C₂H₅OH) is a renewable, flammable, colourless bio-alcohol used as a transport fuel.
• Production modes: Produced through fermentation of sugars/starches or by ethylene hydration.
• Energy Characteristics: Ethanol has a high-octane rating but is 27% less energy-dense than petrol.
• Dual Role: It serves as a petrol additive and as a standalone fuel (E85, E100) in flex-fuel cars.
• Non-Fuel Use: Ethanol is also used in sanitisers, perfumes, beverages, and industrial solvents.
• By-Products: Distillers’ dried grains (DDGS) from grain ethanol are reused as animal feed.
• Generational Types: Ethanol is classified by feedstock origin into three generations:

  • 1G Ethanol: From food crops like sugarcane and maize.

  • 2G Ethanol: From crop residues, bagasse, and bamboo.

  • 3G Ethanol: From algae; still in R&D stage.

• Soil salinization is the excessive buildup of salts that are soluble in water. Usually, it is NaCl from table salt.
• There are several sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulphate, chloride, carbohydrate, and bicarbonate chemicals on the list, which is much longer.
• According to the content, salt-affected earths are often divided into three categories: saline, sodic, and saline-sodic.
• Water absorption is negatively impacted, which is the main consequence of soil salinity on plant development.
• Crops wade and die even though the soil is sufficiently moist because they can't absorb enough water.
• Early stages of salinity impact the metabolism of soil organisms and lower soil production, while later stages completely eradicate all vegetation and other soil-dwelling species, turning rich and productive land into desertified and barren areas.
• Magnesium, potassium, and sodium are present in greater concentrations in saline soil.
• It has low calcium and nitrogen levels. Infertile soils cannot sustain the growth of plants as a result.

• Optimum diversity may be obtained by integrating both crops and livestock in the same farming operation.
• Mixed crop along with livestock operations have several advantages.
• Growing crops only on more level land and pastures or forages on steeper slopes will reduce soil erosion.
• Pasture and leguminous forage crops in rotation enhance soil quality and reduce erosion; livestock manure, in turn, contributes to soil fertility.
• Livestock can buffer the negative impacts of low rainfall periods by consuming crop residue which in "plant only" systems would have been considered crop failure.
• Feeding and marketing are flexible in animal production systems. This can help cushion farmers against price fluctuations and, make more efficient use of farm labour.

• Pulses are the edible seeds of plants in the legume family. They are grown in pods and vary widely in shape, size, and colour.
• The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recognises 11 types of pulses, including chickpeas, dry beans, dry broad beans, dry peas, cow peas, pigeon peas, lentils, bambara beans, vetches, and lupins.
• Beyond being an essential source of protein for a significant portion of the global population, pulses also contribute to healthy soils and climate change mitigation through their nitrogen-fixing properties.
• India is the leading producer of pulses, accounting for 25% of global production, the largest consumer, with 27% of world consumption, and a significant importer, representing 14% of global imports.