Role of science and technology for agricultural revival in India

Purpose - Several empirical studies have shown that the "servicization" of India's economy has taken place in terms of structural changes in GDP. But the structural changes in terms of employment have been slow, as agriculture is still the mainstay of more than 50 per cent of the total workforce. Though agriculture is still the predominant sector of the economy in terms of employment and livelihood, it is losing its dynamism. The country has been striving to achieve target of 4 per cent growth in agriculture since the 8th Five Year Plan so essential for achieving the objective of "inclusive growth". However, the country is nowhere near the goal even in the penultimate year of 11th Five year Plan. The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the need for application of science and technology in India's agriculture to ensure sustainable development of agriculture with food security and also for tapping the " demographic dividend". The agricultural crisis in India motivated the author to take up this study. Design/methodology/approach - The present study mainly used secondary sources of data. The analysis of secondary data available in various documents, reports etc. revealed that agriculture in India is indeed passing through crisis. The review of literature revealed that science and technology can play a crucial role in rejuvenation of India's agriculture. Findings - The paper shows that an integrated application of science and technology with social wisdom can help in checking the most serious form of brain-drain (i.e. migration of youth from rural to urban areas), mitigate the adverse impact of climate change and rejuvenate/revive India's agriculture so very essential for sustainability of India's growth, as has been stressed by Swaminathan. Originality/value - The paper emphasizes the need for application of science and technology in India's agriculture to ensure sustainable development of agriculture with food security.