Expert calls for policy reforms to boost farmers’ income

Farmers’ incomes remain among the lowest worldwide, underscoring the urgent need to reform economic policies and make farming attractive for youth, said renowned food policy expert Devinder Sharma. He was speaking at the inaugural session of the Consortium for Agroecological Transformations (CAT) North Region Convening, held at Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry (UHF), Nauni.

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The event, jointly organised by CAT, UHF Nauni, and GIZ India, saw participation from over 70 stakeholders from Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Punjab and Uttarakhand. Key partners included the India Climate Collaborative, Bharat Agroecology Fund, CEEW, Kheti Virasat Mission and HimRRA Network.

Sharma stressed the need for increased budget allocations to agriculture and ensuring a greater share of consumer prices reaches farmers. “We must re-engineer economic policies to make farming viable for youth. Agroecology at a large scale is the way forward,” he stated.

UHF Vice-Chancellor Prof Rajeshwar S Chandel highlighted the multiple benefits of natural farming for farmers, consumers, and the environment. He urged collaboration between institutions and civil society to promote agroecology and rural development while addressing climate change. “All stakeholders must come together for this transformation,” he said.

Minhaj Ameen from the Bharat Agroecology Fund emphasised agroecology as a promising solution for India’s food system overhaul. He called for stronger collaboration across the agroecological value chain to build wider support for sustainable farming.

Ute Rieckmann, head of GIZ India’s Support to Agroecological Transformation Programme, stressed the need for global cooperation to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss. She highlighted the importance of knowledge management, institutional capacity-building, and research in natural farming.

Umendra Dutt from Kheti Virasat Mission advocated for a holistic food production system involving multiple ministries, including health, agriculture, and the environment. He called for the reorientation of agricultural extension systems towards organic and natural farming, the establishment of natural farming cells in agricultural universities, and better coordination between scientists, grassroots organisations, and NGOs.

Participants also emphasised that organic and natural farmers should be incentivised for their ecosystem services and receive fair prices based on true cost accounting. The convening underscored the urgent need for systemic change to ensure sustainable farming practices and fair farmer incomes.