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Why Modern Farming Methods Required More Inputs?

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Agriculture has played a significant role in the evolution of human civilization. Farming is the cultivation of domestic animals, fish, birds, plants, crops, and other products for the production of food, clothing, and other necessities of life. Before the industrial revolution, the majority of those people relied on agriculture to meet their daily needs for food, clothing, and shelter. Farmers used to be very reliant on natural weather conditions and fertilizers, and their productivity was very low. They produced very little due to the use of traditional farming methods. 

However, things have changed since then. In recent years, Agriculture and farming technology advancements have greatly increased farming productivity. Agribusiness, intensive farming, organic farming, and sustainable agriculture are some of the modern farming methods that are used today. Crop production has increased dramatically as a result of the increased use of pesticides containing synthetic nitrogen, mechanization, and mined rock phosphate. It has facilitated the green revolution in cereal production, such as rice, wheat, and corn. Farmers previously dug the soil with ploughs. Farmers, on the other hand, dig the soil with modern equipment such as a multi-function tractor these days. With the use of synthetic fertilizers and high-yield breeds, the farming productivity has skyrocketed.

As we all know, the world’s population is rapidly increasing so, we require more products such as food, clothing, and other items that are entirely dependent on agricultural production and it is very difficult by using the traditional methods of farming. As a result, modern farming is required to increase production in response to rapid population growth. Modern farming refers to the application of modern technologies, techniques, and science to increase agricultural output.

Some of the effective methods of Modern Farming:

In different parts of the country, different approaches are used. These do not come within standard farming methods. This includes the following:

1. Manipulation of genes:  Now, Agricultural Scientists are looking for crop breeding strategies in modern agriculture. In most cases, hybrid seeds are employed. This occurs when two or more types of plants are combined to produce higher-quality offspring. Another field of study is genetic engineering, which focuses on the creation of molecular structures.

2. Intense tillage: When it comes to farming, the expression “till the soil” is widely employed. The reason for this is that tillage is a fundamental pre-planting procedure. It entails the disintegration of dirt into smaller particles. This work will be made easier by the usage of contemporary equipment. This is done to allow aeration to take place within the soil. The roots won’t be able to spread and the small crops won’t be able to sprout successfully if the soil particles are too tightly packed together. Loose soil also helps water to escape quickly, avoiding swampy conditions. This kind of farming is just as fundamental as planting a seed.

3. Use of synthetic fertilizers: It’s important to use fertilizers to improve the fertility of agricultural soil. Over time, repeated exploitation of land for a long period has brought the stage of the fertility of the land to a halt. Because letting the ground furrow is an old-fashioned practice due to land scarcity, fertilizers have aided.

4. Monoculture: Although this is a modern form of farming, it is also one of the most conservative. The method entails only one type or species of the crop being planted on a plot of land. Only a single variety of crops is grown on land as large as five hectares. This planting method is commonly used since it makes planting easier. The same method is used for land preparation across the board. Planting techniques and post-planting procedures are the same throughout the country. This strategy, in particular, saves time and lowers production costs. 

5. Irrigation technologies: Water is one of the most important factors in determining plant growth. A small amount of rainfall has a propensity to be insufficient for agricultural production. Rain is the main source of water for agriculture, but, it is unfortunate that it doesn’t fall at the same time or in the same amount, throughout all over the year. To provide available water for the agricultural land, we have to depend on dams, Reservoirs, rivers, wells, ponds, etc. If a water resource is not too far from the farm, In modern farming, farmers commonly use pipes, sprinklers, canals, sprays, pumps to irrigate the farm during the dry season.

6. Chemical pesticides: Pests are any living beings that affect your farm’s output. Insects or rodents such as grass cutters and squirrels could be the pests. If they are left unchecked, the consequences of these pests could be disastrous. They have the potential to infect crops, reducing the quality and quantity of farm produce. They also raise the production costs. Chemicals that will either kill them or keep them away are the best approach to deal with them. The majority of these chemicals are safe for crops and extremely effective and also reasonable in price.

Some of the causes for which this type of farming requires more inputs

Modern farming systems necessitate more industrially produced inputs. As a result, as compared to older farming techniques, the same area of land produced a higher yield. Pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and sufficient water are required for high-yielding seed kinds to achieve the greatest results.  

More inputs, which are made in the industry, are required by current farming practices. It’s because modern farming techniques employ a high-yielding seed variety, Chemical fertilizers and insecticides, agricultural implements such as tractors, and suitable irrigation facilities such as electric tube wells are all required for these seeds, and all of these elements are made in industries. 

1. Chemical fertilizers: Chemical fertilizers are being utilized in greater quantities to boost crop yields. Chemical fertilizers that exceed the threshold level, on the other hand, damage water bodies in addition to being stored in agricultural plants. Environmentalists have resorted to organic farming as a result of this. Organic farming is the production of non-polluted crops using biofertilizers and biopesticides that give optimal nutrient availability to plants while keeping infections and pests at bay.

2. Farm machinery: Our farmers use modern farming technology to improve a wide range of production operations. It makes use of hybrid seeds from a single crop variety, cutting-edge machinery, and a slew of energy subsidies in the form of irrigation water, fertilizers, and pesticides. Tractors, balers, combines, ploughs, mowers, planters, and sprayers are some of the most prevalent agricultural equipment and machinery. Farming is no longer a small-scale operation, but rather one carried out on thousands of hectares with massive machinery. Because of this increase in efficiency, the entire globe now has access to any food it desires at any time.

3. Electricity: Land irrigation may now be done in significantly more efficient ways. Previously, irrigation was done with Persian wheels, which was a time-consuming and ineffective procedure. As a result, irrigation with electricity will be beneficial for much wider expanses of land, and it will be done much more swiftly and effectively. Because of improved irrigation facilities, an increasing number of crops may be cultivated in a single year. Electricity not only aided in the improvement of agricultural irrigation but also the operation of various food processing which indirectly assures farmers a better output.

  • Tube wells powered by electricity may irrigate much bigger tracts of land.
  • The irrigation system has been converted by electricity.
  • Because electricity is a cheap and pollution-free source of irrigation, it has reduced pollution.

4. HYV seeds: The usage of High Yielding Variety seeds and artificial fertilizers is a modern farming strategy. Scientists produced High Yield Variety (HYV) seeds to boost food availability and minimize starvation in underdeveloped countries. On the same piece of land, these HYV or “miracle” seeds can produce up to ten times more crops than normal seeds

Conclusion

In rural areas, farming is the primary source of income. There have been numerous significant changes in the way farming is done over the years. Farmers have been able to grow more crops on the same area of land as a result of these improvements. Because land is fixed and scarce, this is a significant achievement. However, increasing production has put a lot of strain on land and other natural resources.

The new farming methods require less land but a lot more money. Medium and large farmers can use their production savings to set aside funds for the following season. Small farmers, who account for approximately 21% of all farmers have a tough time obtaining finance. Their production is insufficient due to the modest size of their plots. They can’t get capital from their savings because they don’t have any, so they have to borrow. Aside from the debt, many small farmers start work as farm laborers to support themselves and their families. Because labor is the most abundant factor of production, it would be great if new farming methods utilized significantly more labor. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. On farms, the employment of labor is restricted. As a result, farming labor after leaving agricultural work usually travels to nearby towns and cities in search of others types of work.



Last Updated : 22 Sep, 2021
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