Evolution of Agriculture
- About 11,500 years ago during the Neolithic period, people learned to grow cereal and root crops, and they soon started to settle down to life based on farming.
- About 10,000 years ago Goats, sheep, and chickens were among the earliest animals to be domesticated.
- In the 15th and 16th centuries, a period of discovery introduced new varieties of plants and agricultural products. From Asia coffee, tea, and indigo, and from America potatoes, tomatoes, corn, beans, peanuts, and tobacco.
- During the 1950s and 60s scientists, developed new strains of high-yield wheat and rice. They introduced them into Mexico and part of Asia.
- India since the Indus valley civilization is known for agriculture, the first evidence of growing cotton was found here. Rice and Barley were also produced. Middle age saw irrigation channels, and land and water management systems with the aim to provide uniform growth. There was slight stagnation during the modern period.
- After independence, During the First five-year plan India invested in all sectors equally to know what we are good at. It was concluded that Agriculture is India’s strength and it will grow on its own but the major increase in production happened due to an increase in land areas.
- Growth came down when India had massive drought and famine and all the money was invested in 2nd five-year industrial plan and lost in war. India’s economy got crumbled and the country was on verge of a hunger crisis in 1964.
- Britain did not support it, and Russia was not in the condition to help, Americans were questioned due to the Nonalignment movement but later provided bad quality PL480.
- India needed food security and the Green revolution was introduced in 1966 and the focus was agriculture. It provided us with the idea of sustainability and today we are the largest producer of wheat, edible oil, potato, spices, and rubber. A further revolution like pink, brown, golden, etc. kept the agricultural development in check.
Future of 5G technology in Agriculture
If agriculture goes wrong, nothing else will have a chance to go right in the country – M.S. Swaminathan (Father of Green revolution).
Agriculture is a primary activity of the economy that includes growing crops, fruits, vegetables, and flowers and rearing livestock. It plays an important role in the Indian economy. More than 70% of rural households depend on agriculture. It contributes 17% to Indian GDP and provides employment to almost 58% of the population. The share of agriculture in GDP increased to 19.9% in 2020-21. Agriculture was the only sector that proved resilient during the covid -19 pandemic, as it is the only sector with a growth rate of 3.6 % in 2020-21 and 3.9% in 2021-22.