AgriManipur - E-paolive.net

AgriManipur Volume 1, Issue 1Editor viewpoint“Our aim is to addresssuch issues byunderstanding andmitigating the problemsthrough dialogue,discussion anddissemination”We are in the era where pressureof food production strainsevery nation due to high populationgrowth and shrinkingarable land. We are no excepton.Challenge lies in everyoneof us; to produce more fromlimited amount of resources.Answer would be challengingand often coupled with unwantedoffshoots. For instance,use of fertilizer, though spikesyield, spoils the land in longrun. Nearly 50 % of the worldpopulation experiences thepang of hunger; forget aboutmalnutrition! Fundamentalcause points to low productivityor inefficient utilisation ofland. Besides this, loss duringtransportation and storagecontributes significantly todishearteningly low reach-outto people. Given the fact thatimproved production of agriculturalcrops plays a crucialrole in alleviating hunger, povertyand malnutrition, immediateattention is needed to bepaid. So the mantra lies insustainable improvement inagricultural yield.Amidst this troubling situation,there exists a wide disparitybetween countries, statesand regions in terms of agriculturalproductivity. Yield ofcereal of India is half to that ofChina and almost one third ofUS. Such big difference couldresult from varieties of reason .Where is the failure? Whom toblame? Difficult to point. Ouraim is to address such issues byunderstanding and mitigatingthe problems through dialogue,discussion and dissemination.One of the issues that vex thecommon farmers is communicationgap. An intriguing researcharticle by Shanta andPurnima (2009) in Annals ofLibrary and Information Studiesrevealed that knowledge andinformation required by farmersin Manipur for their agriculturalactivities are largelyunmet. Either informationcan‘t be reached or they simplycan‘t understand. Also flow ofinformation is often unidirectional.What‘s wrong with thegovt. machineries where tonsof money were earmarked? Hasmoney been drained somewhere?We believe informationis the key and farmers areempowered by equipping themwith information.Solving staggering needs offarmers and other stakeholdersnecessitates view from differentangles. There is no use of abundantsupply of materials (seeds,implements, manure, etc)when they don‘t have capacityto purchase. Here comes therole of credit. On anotherfront, an employee in publicsectors and MNCs are entitledto healthcare and otherinsurance policies. Who looksafter when they ill? Whatabout the farmers? Thoughthey are doing the most noblejob, they are discourageddue to lack of security. Farmingis, therefore, compelled tobe a secondary option. On thewhole, nation suffers.AgriManipur, a brainchild ofSociety of Agriculture, Foodand Innovation, dreams. Wehope readers can enjoy andbelieve that magazine will actas platform for farmers, foodprocessors, entrepreneurs anddirectly reaching their voice toexperts and policymakers inconstructive manner and atthe same time, farmers willalso be benefited by gettingtimely, reliable and motivatingviews and advice.We believe, with reliable information,can emerge successfuldespite the turbulenceand malaise.AgriManipurChief EditorDayanidhi HuidromConsulting EditorN. Bobo MeiteiContributorsY. HemantaA. HemchandraTh. SanajaobaSurendroPublisherHemchandraAgriManipur is a quarterly magazinepublished by SAFI (Society for Agriculture,Food and Innovation) Imphal basedNGO. We are happy to receive readerscomments/ view/ criticism.daya.sym@gmail.com©SAFISociety for Agriculture, Food and Innovation,Wankhei Konsam Leikai, ImphalPage 2