Sustainable agriculture development or mechanization in Nepal🤔 ????

We always used to have doubt if we think which way should we move for our agriculture development, mechanization/commercialization or sustainable development? Nepal has many challenges to maintain food security for future population to feed. Even at the era of modernisation in 21st century, Nepalese farmers are depending on rainfed farming system and growing crops in low input level. This is creating the high input and low output in agriculture production. 

Many Nepalese citizens are in below poverty, and many more are suffering from hunger. The low output of agriculture production with high input is not enough to support current food security in Nepal. 

               Photo: Example of food diversity, Source: Wikimedia

Therefore, there is necessity to secure food at the fist stage of agricultural development. However, we can not ignore the sustainable development as well. Therefore, there should be balance between these things.

Commercialization and/or sustainable development?

Because of the severe level of hunger and low food security, more food production is first priority. Surplus food production is possible through commercialization that can support current hunger crisis. The commercialization needs heavy machine works and energy. Heavy machine works may cause soil compaction, may require fossil fuel to operate machines (non-renewable energy source), can cause greenhouse gas emission from fuel combustion and can destroy soil structure and texture. However, to meet the daily food demand and to reduce heavy dependency on food import from other countries, commercialization is an important option in Nepal. 

In another hand, to create more employment in agriculture sector, develop agribusiness and to create job opportunity for technical manpower, as well as to increase agricultural production for economic purpose, there is no second option other than commercialization. 

However, commercialization all over the country may question the sustainability. We can not deny that, we should keep our earth balanced. Therefore, there should be balance between these two things i.e. sustainability and commercialization. Sustainable development always have to go together with commercialization for better development in agriculture. 

The followings are the main points we have to take care to balance sustainability and modernization in Nepalese agriculture

1. Calculate how much GHG (Greenhouse gases) emit from farm machines and try to mitigate it from planting trees and crops outside farm - it is tentative mitigation idea to reduce GHG emission 

2. Always grow and promote local agricultural plants which have adaptation capacity at harsh condition. We always should grow these crops in certain area so that they would not extinct and we can use if modern cultivars collapsed

3. Have to follow rotation and integration with legumes in mechanized area. Integration and rotation with legumes will help soil health and increase crop yield in subsequent crops

4. Have to use cover crops with legumes, have to avoid plastic mulch and to use multipurpose water use system such as drip irrigation in mechanized farm can help to improve soil health plus help to optimise available water resource

5. Have to calculate exact need of chemicals and fertilizers in farm, so that farmers can avoid haphazard use of chemicals and fertilizers, Which may help to balance soil health 

Therefore, there is always a need to balance between mechanization and sustainability in agriculture development. Aforementioned points may help to balance these two things. We have to take care sustainable development as we can not deny it as well as we have to increase food production through industrialization in agriculture. 

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