Balancing Human Demand and Ecological Supply for Sustainable Agriculture

Abstract

It is supposed that the first organized agriculture developed in West Asia, somewhere in the present sites of Jermo, a small village, in the fertile crescent of Mesopotamia, covering an area of 12,000 to 16,000 m², dated to 7090 BC, (by carbon-14) consisting of some 25 houses, and about 150 people. They mainly dwelled in mud-thatched houses and practised a primitive way of living. Today’s agriculture serves food for 2.3 billion Houses inhabited by 8.02 billion people, cultivating 6000–7000 species of crops. The global agriculture market saw a 9.4% CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) worth $12,245.63 billion in 2022 to $13,398.79 billion in 2023.

Integrated solutions must be devised for better land and water governance, requiring both technical and managerial innovation. The priorities must be set in order to drive transformation and scale it up. Investment and assistance for agriculture need to be diverted to benefit environmental and social advantages that is derived from water and land management. Of India’s 328.72 million mha total geographical area (TGA), over 97.85 million mha experienced land degradation in 2018–2019. India is committed to neutralizing land degradation by 2030.

The paper discusses various aspects of challenges of soil and water, the status of water availability, demand and future requirements, and balancing ecological footprint and biocapacity, which is a widely recognized measure of sustainabilityin one hand, and the status of ecological deficit/reserve and biocapacity creditors on the other. The application of Sustainability Science in terms of transdisciplinary approach requiring consideration of the need for transformational function were also discussed. The major farming systems of South Asia, the properties of sustainable agroecosystems, its structural and functional properties and indicating factors were critically analysed for optimum management of natural resources including various approaches that globally evolved; in terms of (a) clear ideologies, (b) environmental, economic, and societal objectives and (c) the approaches evolved in their own right over time. In addition, the supporting activities and similar environmentally friendly practices were also discussed. Finally, the issues that need to be addressed for better appreciation and adoption of sustainable agriculture were outlined.