UPSC Editorial Analysis: Agriculture–Environment Nexus and India’s Policy Divergence

General Studies-3; Topic: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

Introduction

• Every winter, northern India is engulfed in a thick smog blanket, primarily caused by low temperatures, stagnant winds, and stubble burning from Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
• This phenomenon leads to hazardous Air Quality Index (AQI) levels, affecting public health, visibility, and the regional economy.
• Yet, stubble burning is only a symptom of a deeper ecological and policy crisis that connects soil degradation, groundwater depletion, and chemical contamination — all linked to modern agricultural practices.
• At the heart of this problem lies a structural disconnect between India’s agricultural and environmental law–policy frameworks, which have evolved in isolation from each other.

Historical Background: The Productivity Paradigm

• Food Security as the Foundational Goal
  • Post-Independence, India faced the twin challenges of famine and chronic food shortages.
  • Hence, the Green Revolution (1960s–70s) prioritized high productivity through:
    • High-Yield Variety (HYV) seeds,
    • Intensive irrigation,
    • Chemical fertilisers and pesticides, and
    • Double cropping and mechanisation.
• Achievements of the Green Revolution
  • Transformed India from a food-deficit to a food-surplus nation.
  • Established food self-sufficiency and reduced dependence on imports.
  • Boosted rural incomes in select regions (mainly Punjab, Haryana, Western UP).
• The Productivity Hangover
  • Even after liberalisation in the 1990s, agricultural policies continued to be driven by yield maximisation, not sustainability.
  • Example: NITI Aayog’s Report on Pulses emphasizes productivity enhancement with limited reference to sustainable practices.
  • Fertiliser, power, and irrigation subsidies still encourage resource-intensive cultivation, disregarding ecological impacts.

Interdependence between Agriculture and Environment

• Mutual Dependence
  • Agriculture depends on soil fertility, water availability, biodiversity, and climate stability, and in turn influences these very systems.
  • Unsustainable agricultural practices degrade natural resources, leading to a vicious feedback loop.
• Global and Indian Context
  • As per the IPCC (2019), agricultural expansion contributes to:
    • 13% of global CO₂ emissions,
    • 44% of CH₄ emissions, and
    • 81% of N₂O emissions.
  • Globally, agriculture consumes about 70% of freshwater, while in India, it accounts for 91% of freshwater withdrawals.
  • India’s over-dependence on water-intensive crops like paddy and sugarcane is depleting aquifers in the Indo-Gangetic Plain and Deccan Plateau.
• Environmental Impacts of Current Practices
  • Soil degradation: Continuous monocropping, heavy fertiliser use, and residue burning reduce soil organic matter.
  • Water contamination: Runoff from pesticides and nitrates pollutes surface and groundwater.
  • Air pollution: Stubble burning contributes up to 30–40% of winter PM2.5 levels in North India.
  • Loss of biodiversity: Hybrid and HYV seeds have displaced traditional, climate-resilient varieties.

The Legal Disconnect: Agriculture vs Environment

• Industrial Bias in Environmental Laws
  • Key environmental legislations —
    • Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974,
    • Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, and
    • Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 — were primarily designed to regulate industrial pollution, not agriculture.
• Gaps in Legal Definitions
  • Even though the EPA defines “environment” and “pollution” broadly, it does not explicitly address agricultural pollutants like fertiliser runoff or methane from livestock.
  • The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification 2006 also excludes agricultural activities from mandatory assessments.
• Policy Incoherence
  • India’s environmental laws focus on pollution control, while agricultural policies focus on production maximisation — creating a governance vacuum.
  • As a result, agricultural pollution (diffuse sources) remains largely unregulated.
• Need for Integration
  • Agriculture must be treated as a regulated sector under environmental governance, with cross-cutting frameworks linking soil, water, air, and biodiversity conservation to farming policies.

Government Initiatives towards Sustainable Agriculture

• National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)
  • A core component of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
  • Focus areas:
    • Agroforestry,
    • Rainfed area development,
    • Water and soil health management,
    • Climate adaptation strategies.
  • However, budget allocation remains negligible — around 0.8% of the Agriculture Ministry’s total.
• Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY)
  • Promotes “Per Drop More Crop” through micro-irrigation and water-use efficiency.
• Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP)
  • Encourages rainwater harvesting and community-level watershed conservation.
• Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)
  • Supports organic farming clusters and certification processes.
• Soil Health Card Scheme
  • Aims to monitor and improve soil nutrient balance.
• Shortcomings in Implementation
  • Funding remains inadequate.
  • Farmers lack awareness and technical know-how.
  • Absence of a safety net in case of yield loss discourages adoption.
  • Sustainable produce markets are still underdeveloped and poorly incentivised.

Barriers to Sustainable Transition

• Psychological and Economic Fears
  • Farmers fear lower yields and reduced incomes during the transition.
  • Policymakers worry about food shortages if productivity declines temporarily.
• Knowledge and Capacity Gaps
  • Extension services remain weak; most farmers are unaware of sustainable techniques like zero-tillage, crop diversification, or precision farming.
• Lack of Incentives and Infrastructure
  • No dedicated mechanism to compensate farmers for environmental services (like carbon sequestration or residue management).
  • Access to technology, credit, and markets for sustainable produce is limited.
• Governance Fragmentation
  • Agriculture, water, and environment ministries operate in silos, leading to fragmented policymaking.

Way Forward

• Policy Integration
  • Align agricultural policy objectives with environmental goals.
  • Introduce Environmental Impact Assessments for large-scale agricultural practices and link them to state-level climate action plans.
• Economic Incentives
  • Redirect subsidies towards climate-smart and resource-efficient technologies.
  • Reward farmers for maintaining soil and water quality, through Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) models.
• Institutional Coordination
  • Establish an Inter-Ministerial Task Force on Sustainable Agriculture, involving Agriculture, Environment, and Water ministries.
• Technological Innovation
  • Promote bio-fertilisers, precision agriculture, and digital soil-health monitoring.
  • Encourage crop diversification towards millets, pulses, and oilseeds.
• Farmer Education and Social Change
  • Integrate sustainability in Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) programmes and agricultural universities.
  • Public campaigns to highlight health and economic benefits of eco-friendly farming.
• Regional Cooperation for Pollution Control
  • For stubble burning, implement joint action plans across states, linking farmer incentives with residue management.
  • Encourage mechanical solutions like Happy Seeders, bio-decomposers, and cooperative equipment banks.
• Strengthening Local Governance
  • Empower Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) to manage local soil and water resources sustainably.
• Monitoring and Evaluation
  • Use satellite data and AI-based tools to monitor pollution, cropping patterns, and groundwater levels.
  • Develop public dashboards linking agricultural performance to environmental outcomes.

Conclusion

• The future of Indian agriculture lies in sustainability, not mere productivity.
• Aligning environmental and agricultural frameworks, empowering farmers with incentives and technology, and integrating laws under a unified “Sustainable Agriculture Mission” can help achieve the twin goals of food security and ecological balance.
• This transition is urgent, inevitable, and foundational for India’s long-term climate and developmental trajectory.