Protect the environment to sustain agricultural production

Dr. Hemchandra Saikia

(saikia.hemchandra@rediffmail.com)

Decades after decades, the subject of environmental pollution has remained a very hot topic of discussion not only at the local or national level but also at various international levels across the world for both short-term and strategic decision-making and implementation with due and sustainable intervention with the ultimate aim of stopping, controlling, or minimising various forms of environmental pollution so that human beings can live in this diversified world with due progress, peace, and happiness. Definitely, this is very urgent and essential, and it should be a very continuous collective effort at all levels across the world, giving simultaneous emphasis on the issue of sustainability.

It is established that environmental pollution in its various forms affects critically many crucial socio-economic and environmental parameters like the healthy life of a human being, industrial activities, standard of living, overall economic development with sustainability, agricultural development, the existence of rich flora and fauna, conservation of a diversified eco-system, ecology, conservation of bio-diversity, and so on. And this very reaction is reflected in all places across the world, but with a varied degree of manifestation and magnitude. It is only due to the injudicious activities of human beings for their quest of greed for development, growth, luxurious life, wealth acquisition, and wealth multiplication, which have a close link with higher greed, growth, development, urbanisation, industrialization, and a competitive race to have a very high standard of living with unlimited wealth, etc. As a result of these uncontrolled and injudicious human activities, the clear and conspicuous breeding of various forms of environmental pollution, like air pollution, water pollution and soil pollution, is very well experienced decades after decades, causing great hardship to the peace and sustainable existence of human life with due development. That is why we humans urgently and continuously need a very fruitful and collective control of environmental pollution with the involvement of all sectors of society, including institutional intervention, in due time and space.

As food is our basic need and we human being cannot imagine a life without healthy food to lead a very sustainable life with due peace, progress and happiness. But due to various forms of environmental pollution the entire food chain is getting badly affected and is a vital matter of concern as these menace of environmental pollution entering to our food chain are giving us returns like polluted food, unhealthy food, various form of diseases or disorders of varied magnitude, low production, degradation of soil health and fertility, destruction of healthy eco-system, bio-diversity, climate change etc. On the other hand our food chain has closed and direct relation with our agricultural and allied economic activities of human being and with accomplishment of agricultural and allied economic activities we human being can imagine any food to sustain a health and progressive life. It is the pollution of agricultural and allied activities which in turn results in pollution of food or food chain affecting our healthy and sustainable human life in this world. As agriculture is the main source to produce food to mankind and for its food security besides providing livelihood to a larger section of household particularly in our underdeveloped and developing countries, so due discussion to protect agriculture from environmental pollution to sustain its production is very relevant.

Environmental pollution affects the production, quality and income of agricultural and allied economic activities in many ways. Of course it depends mostly on how agricultural operations are done, how inputs or resources are used and the motive or objectives of farmers in doing particular agricultural activities. For example injudicious use of chemicals like plant protection chemicals for control of insects and diseases or disorder, injudicious use of herbicides to control of weeds, injudicious use of irrigation water, injudicious application of fertilizers, burning of waste material of plant origin like thatch etc can contribute a lot and significantly in polluting the entire environment including pollution of food or food chain in our journey of farm production. Moreover injudicious use of these chemical and fertilizers can aggravate the process of soil fertility loss, soil degradation, loss of physical properties of soil or land where we cultivate crops or agriculture, loss of biodiversity, or extinction of flora and fauna which are otherwise very essential and helpful in carrying out future essential crop breeding or animal breeding programmes for developing suitable high performing sustainable crop varieties or breed keeping in view the changing environment and climate. Again, injudicious use of pesticides to control insect pest of crops may contribute resurgence of secondary pest outbreak which may quantify the crop loss to a great extent. Moreover a particular pest may develop resistance against that applied chemicals due to injudicious use or prolonged use. Because, everything has its safe limit of use, definite time, dose and method of use, etc. Any deviation of use of these inputs or resources toward injudicious front will yield remarkable environmental damage, human health hazard, pollution of food or food chain, development of various dreaded diseases, loss of soil fertility, soil degradation, air pollution, water pollution , loss of biodiversity ,poor economic growth, peace and development.

On the other hand we need food security, malnutrition free human being, healthy human being and we have the pressure of increasing population, climate change, demand for greed for development , peace and happiness, demand for unlimited resources or opportunities, industrialization, urbanization and many more in the name of development. Under such a circumstances and also to have quality food in sufficient amount for all, beautiful and healthy environment, ecological balance, intake of biodiversity, disease free health and mind and its proper growth and development, protection of all the beneficial elements or entity of environment and controlling or preventing all the activities which can contribute various forms of environmental pollution are not only essential but also crucial and critical in maintaining a very sustainable environment to have better and sustainable human world with due progress , peace and happiness. So following regular interventions can protect our environment from the menace of environmental pollution and can sustain our agricultural production, productivity and income for our farming community in particular and economy in general and ultimately peace and progress in our human society. These very interventions may be-

Use of agro-chemicals or pesticides on need basis at recommended dose or minimum use of these chemicals with judicious and sustainable approaches

Use of fertilizers at recommended dose in proper time and with proper method

Judicious use of irrigation water

Greater and effective intervention on organic or natural farming and biological control of pests and diseases

No destruction or damage of flora and fauna without rhyme and reason

Conservation of ecology and biodiversity

Using various agriculturalresidue and animalwaste for making compost,manuring andmulching

Non-degradable waste materials or plastic should not be thrown to water bodies or in public places.

Regular and large scale effective plantation drives in due space and time.

Emphasis on environment friendly activities in all socio-economic activities like economic and efficient use of water, waste water, no to single use plastic, use of public transport, use of energy saving devices or approaches which are environment friendly.

In fact living harmony with nature and carrying out all activities accordingly where greater emphasis is given on the health of environment and its components and adoption of eco-friendly or environment friendly sustainable approaches. In this case special mention may be made about the clarion call of our honorable Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi about his Mission LiFE which was introduced to the world at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow on November 1, 2021 and opined “Mission LiFE can become a mass movement of Environmental Conscious Lifestyle. What is needed today is Mindful and Deliberate Utilization, instead of Mindless and Destructive Consumption”. Mission Lifestyle for Environment recognizes that Indian culture and living traditions are inherently sustainable. The importance of conserving our precious natural resources and living in harmony with nature are emphasized in our ancient scriptures. The various world leaders including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also supported India’s this holistic approach of environment management. So we all human being should focused and adopt those activities or interventions which are really environment friendly, eco-friendly and sustainable and should not compromise these vital issues in the name of any kind of development. So let us protect our beautiful environment and ecology in a very sustainable diversified form.