Epilogue

This document samples an array of state-specific promising technological interventions for augmenting agricultural production and achieving higher agricultural growth. By-and-large, the proposed technologies in the document include introduction of improved cultivars/breed stocks, efficient and resource-conserving management practices, production of promising commodities, and cost-effective post-harvest practices. In the present scenario, country needs to produce much more than in the past from shrinking and deteriorating land and water resources to meet the future demand and compete in the global market. Technology intervention can meet the future challenges of alleviating supply side constraints and meet the growing needs for food, feed, fodder and fibre.

We envision that the adoption of the improved technologies for proposed different states would transform the existing lull prevailing in agriculture into a vibrant and competitive sector by harnessing the untapped opportunities in domestic and global markets. The improved technologies would augment farm income, generate employment opportunities, conserve natural resources, restrict imports, promote export and increase value addition for higher, accelerated and inclusive agricultural growth.

It is only technology-led growth that would be sustainable and distribute benefits to a wider section of the population dependent on agriculture. Improved technologies would also meet the changing demand patterns and preferences of consumers. In the fast changing scenario, a synergy between demand-driven and technology-led agricultural growth would open new vistas for agricultural transformation in the country and alleviate poverty in marginal and fragile eco-systems. The technologies proposed in this document take care of shrinking and deteriorating quality of resources, changing demand and consumers' preferences.

To sustain the benefits of improved technologies, it is necessary to create a favourable policy environment both at the centre and state levels and evolve appropriate institutional arrangements for linking farmers with input and output markets. These need to be evolved at state level keeping in view the resource endowments, demographic patterns and infrastructure. Rapid upscaling of improved technologies would also need strong backward and forward linkages so that farmers could harness the potential of technology intervention.

For a regular and quality delivery of improved technologies in the present fast changing knowledge-intensive era, a strong extension system needs to be developed in a continuum to promote research-extension-farmer interfacing in a system's perspective. The existing extension system needs to be reoriented to address the entire value chain from production to consumption for quick delivery of improved technologies and harnessing their potential for enhancing net monetary returns per unit of area, time, input and energy.