Agriculture should be pursued as a business to ensure that farmers get returns that are proportionate to their efforts. This would result in increased crop acreage and thereby production, according to Kanayo F Nwanze, president of the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD).
Speaking to the media at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics (Icrisat) on Monday, he said the government should make higher investments in short, medium and long terms for building capacity among the farming class. Technology should be used to allow farmers discover the market prices.
He said developed countries should lend financial support to the tune of $100 billion to the developing countries for adapting to the climate changes. China, India and Brazil are demanding better compensation from the developed countries and the same would be highlighted at the ensuing Copenhagen summit.
Conservative farming, which uses the available land and water resources optimally, would be a mechanism to deal with climate change, he said, adding there was a need for increasing irrigation capacities. “Climate change would make it difficult for predictions on the output for computing the crop insurance.”
“Small farmers should be encouraged to take up community farming for deploying technology for better productivity. The delivery mechanism should also be strengthened. At the present rate of production, five persons can be fed for one year from the yield per hectare. There is scope to increase it to 22 persons,” he said.
IFAD would increase its support to the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), which supports Icrisat. At present, IFAD contributes around 35 per cent of its grants - around $10 million - to CGIAR centres every year, he said.
Icrisat, with the IFAD support, has been working on crop improvement, pest control and biofuels. It would work to enhance agricultural productivity, diversify and develop rural enterprises and improve livelihood opportunities in dryland of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, said Icrisat director general William D Dar.
IFAD currently supports six projects in which the Centre and the World Bank are the major partners.
Two more projects would be launched in early 2010 including one in Orissa for resource management in upland areas with an estimated IFAD support of $23 million. It would be later expanded to eight states.
The United Nations organisation headquartered in Rome charges .25 per cent interest on loans.
