INDIA’S RURAL SALVATION COULD BE SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

Bro. Erle Frayne Argonza

Good morning from Manila!

India’s rural poor is very high in frequency as its overall rural population is still at an all-time high of 80%. No matter how heated the industrialization efforts are at the moment, it will take time before the benefits of industrialization will permeate the rural folks.

It is no wise action to force rural areas to commercial urbanization as an option to alleviate urban poverty.

[15 August 2008, Quezon City, MetroManila. Thanks to eldis.org database news.]

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Sustainable agriculture: a pathway out of poverty for India's rural poorProduced by: Deutsche Gessellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (2008)

Millions of farmers in remote rural areas of India struggle to feed themselves and their families, while the resources on which they depend are deteriorating daily. This book shows how sustainable agriculture can help India's farmers - especially those in poor, remote areas - pull themselves out of poverty. The book details 14 examples of how development initiatives have helped farmers in some of the remotest parts of the country break out of the cycle of poverty, debt and environmental degradation, and improve their lives and livelihoods through agriculture that is economically, ecologically and socially sustainable. The examples fall into three areas:

• organic agriculture
  
• land and water management
  
• improving market access for small-scale farmers.
  

These examples were selected not only due to their success, but also because they have the potential to be replicated on a large scale. The analysis and lessons are intended to be applied to a wide variety of situations, not just in India, but also throughout the world. The authors argue that such large-scale application is vital if the Millennium Development Goals of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger and ensuring environmental sustainability are to be met.

Available online at: http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/?doc=38679&em=310708&sub=agric