digantsharma As India navigates the complexities of climate change, market volatility, and food security, the future of its agriculture sector increasingly depends on empowering small and marginal farmers. In this exclusive expert column, Dr. Meera Kulkarni, an agricultural economist and policy advisor, shares her insights on how innovation, decentralization, and inclusive policy can reshape India’s farming landscape.
🌾 Smallholders at the Center of Agricultural Growth
“Over 85% of India’s farmers are smallholders owning less than two hectares of land,” says Dr. Kulkarni. “Their productivity, resilience, and profitability are directly tied to national food security. Yet, most policies still focus on large-scale interventions that don’t reach the grassroots.”
According to her, the next green revolution will not come from large farms with mechanized equipment, but from technological and financial innovation tailored to small-scale needs—solar-powered irrigation, micro-credit access, mobile market linkages, and community-based seed banks.
📱 Agri-Tech: A Double-Edged Sword
While India has seen a surge in agri-tech startups offering everything from crop advisory to drone-based surveillance, Dr. Kulkarni warns against over-reliance on top-down tech.
“Digital solutions must be designed with farmers, not just for them,” she emphasizes. “An app that’s not available in regional languages or requires high-end smartphones is a non-starter for rural India.”
She suggests co-creating solutions with farmer producer organizations (FPOs) and panchayats to ensure digital inclusion and adoption.
🌧️ Climate Adaptation is Not Optional
Dr. Kulkarni underscores the urgent need to integrate climate resilience into agricultural policy. With unpredictable monsoons, shifting crop zones, and increasing pest outbreaks, she believes it’s time to rethink how we approach risk in farming.
“Crop insurance schemes must become universal, transparent, and quick in disbursing claims. We also need to push for climate-smart crops, decentralized weather stations, and early-warning systems at the village level.”
💰 Reform Input Subsidies, Strengthen Output Assurance
India spends a significant portion of its agricultural budget on subsidies—fertilizers, electricity, and seeds. Dr. Kulkarni argues that some of these resources should be redirected to support income security through price guarantees, direct benefit transfers (DBTs), and market access infrastructure.
She supports the demand for a legal guarantee on Minimum Support Prices (MSP), especially for non-cereal crops like pulses and oilseeds.
🤝 The Way Forward
“Policies that empower farmers to become entrepreneurs, not just producers, will be the game-changer,” she says. She envisions a system where farmers have access to finance, technology, and markets, along with training in sustainable practices and value addition.
Dr. Kulkarni ends with a call for evidence-based policymaking and real-time feedback loops that make rural voices central to national decisions.
