Sustainable Agriculture towards Food Security

383 Pages·2017·6.61 MB·English

by  Arulbalachandran Dhanarajan (eds.)

Arulbalachandran Dhanarajan E ditor
Sustainable
Agriculture
towards Food
Security
Sustainable Agriculture towards Food Security
Arulbalachandran Dhanarajan
Editor
Sustainable Agriculture
towards Food Security
Editor
Arulbalachandran Dhanarajan
Department of Botany, School of Life
Sciences
Periyar University
Salem, Tamil Nadu, India
ISBN 978-981-10-6646-7 ISBN 978-981-10-6647-4 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6647-4
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017958740
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This book is dedicated to the memory of my
father who instilled in me and my beloved
brother….
I feel immense pleasure and privilege to
write about the matchless qualities of such a
distinguished person, my brother Shri
D. Ravichandran, who is paving my life path
since my childhood. He is my first mentor
and I learned many things from him such as
working hard and following ethics in life,
and he has taken care of all the moments in
my academic activities till now. I am honored
to dedicate this book to my brother Shri
D. Ravichandran. He is my inspiration and
motivation and thoughtful love, who
enlightened me to continue to improve my
knowledge and move my career forward.

Editor
Foreword
The priority process of sustainable agriculture is driven by the need to produce suf-
ficient food, feed and fibre to meet the growing demands of the world’s burgeoning
population. Within this is the need to appreciate, recognise and reshape agricultural
systems to meet future demands. It is clear to me through my work on dissecting the
genetic basis for cereal crop response and adaptation to production environments
that this is a complex and multifaceted challenge. When considering the wider con-
text of farming systems, this becomes all the more complicated, not least because
the range of farming systems we work within differ widely. An additional element
in the sustainable intensification of agriculture is the role of orphan or alternative
food sources and how traditional plant and animal products may play a role in
ensuring future food and nutritional security.
I am therefore very pleased to introduce this book edited by Dr. D. Arulbalachandran
of Periyar University, Salem, Tamil Nadu, India. As an agricultural plant scientist
pursuing molecular breeding strategies to understand and improve the performance
of crop and medicinal plants, Dr. D. Arulbalachandran has assembled an exciting
range of contributions providing a new dimension to the discussion of issues, chal-
lenges and strategies for addressing agricultural sustainability.
The book introduces the context and urgency of sustainable agriculture and looks
at improvements underway in both conventional and organic farming contexts. The
latter is particularly important as societal preferences change and it presents both a
challenge and an opportunity to the maintenance of food production. Of particular
interest is the use of seaweed as a superior and renewable source of food and crop
amendment, which could drive yield increases not linked to petrochemical-based
inputs.
Alternative food sources are also considered in depth in the book, and the impor-
tance of food or dietary diversification is relevant and timely. Whilst this can be
achieved through the manipulation of nutrients or their absorptive qualities in exist-
ing plant parts, it is also relevant to consider primary sources of food, whether they
be plant, algae or mushroom based. The role of indigenous food and medicinal
plants is also important to consider. Here, clear gains are possible through breeding
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viii Foreword
and agronomy as many have been poorly characterised and subjected to only lim-
ited empirical selection.
The advent of new technology is increasingly heralded for its potential to revolu-
tionise the agricultural sector. In this book, the role of tissue culture, manipulation
of biologically active compounds from plants and somatic embryogenesis are all
considered in detail. At the other end of the scale, the soil that supports and under-
pins agricultural production is discussed and the importance of soil security is
clearly made. The more we understand about how plants interact with and respond
to their local environment, the more important we recognise the soil to be. This is
particularly so in regions where soil toxicities limit productive land area and here
bioremediation is crucial to land area that can support productivity.
In conclusion, the challenges of sustainable agriculture are great and exceedingly
diverse. This diversity demands multidisciplinary thinking and application, and this
book brings together a wide range of contributions to address the biological chal-
lenges and potential change underpinning this. In the future, it is my hope that all of
these areas can integrate their research objectives and can work together with social,
physical, economic and political sciences to address our pressing food security
challenges.
National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB) Alison Bentley
Cambridge, UK
Preface
The world’s population is projected to grow from around 7.2 billion today to 9.3
billion in 2050. Agricultural production on land and aquatic systems already domi-
nates much of the global terrestrial surface and has major negative impacts on the
earth’s ecosystems. At the same time, rural areas are still home to the majority of the
world’s poor and vulnerable populations who rely heavily on natural capital for
their livelihoods and lack secure access to these resources. Agricultural production
systems and the policies and institutions that underpin global food security are
increasingly inadequate. The world’s food systems are heading towards an unprec-
edented confluence of pressure for the next 40 years (Foresight UK 2011). The
major cause of unsustainable agriculture is due to the unprecedented burgeoning
environmental crisis which is one of the seeds for mounting pressure on food secu-
rity. The combined effects of climate change, land degradation, cropland losses,
water scarcity and species infestations may cause projected yields to be 5–25%
short of demand by 2050. Besides, agriculture is practised in so many climates and
in different cultural contexts, so sustainable agriculture cannot possibly imply a
special way of thinking or of using farming practices. The agricultural challenges of
the future will, as today, differ according to their geopolitical and socio-economic
contexts, and moreover they are not linked to any particular technological practices.
Indeed, sustainable agriculture is defined as the ability of farmland to produce food
and other agricultural products that satisfy human needs indefinitely as well as have
sustainable impacts on the broader environment. This requirement in agriculture to
avoid severe or irreversible damage to endogenous or external ecosystem services
upon which it depends, notably soil fertility, irrigation of water, genetic variability
and pollinators, which have acceptable impacts on the broader environment.
Significant change in sustainable agriculture and food security is needed, without
this, the challenges will be exacerbated in the near future. The world needs a para-
digm shift in agriculture development for sustainable food production and security
through green revolution and eco-friendly approaches. Sustainable agriculture tech-
nologies and practices must be locally adapted. Sustainable agriculture should have
adaptability and flexibility over time to respond to demands for biomass production.
New strategies are needed that respond to the daunting challenges posed by climate
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x Preface
change mitigation and adaptation, water scarcity, the decline of petroleum-based
energy, biodiversity loss and persistent food insecurity in growing populations. The
book Sustainable Agriculture Towards Food Security will generate awareness to the
larger part of issues as it deals with food security and addresses perspectives and
insights of sustainability of food production and security through sustainable agri-
culture towards the future in the way of classical and recent advancements of tech-
nologies and strategies by sustainable production through plant and animal origin;
productivity growth by pest management and transgenic techniques; and mitigation
of toxicity in soil and environment by bioremediation, environmental stress resis-
tance, plant growth-promoting microbes, regulators, breeding strategies, tissue cul-
tures, bio-fertilizers and integrated approaches of food nutrition. It is assured that
the chapters of this book provide a new dimension to discuss the issues, challenges
and strategies of agricultural sustainability in a comprehensive manner and glimpses
to students and advanced and budding researchers to make a novel approach for
sustainability with environmentally sound practices.
Salem, TN, India Arulbalachandran Dhanarajan
Acknowledgments
The completion of a task is never a one-man effort which is often a result of direct
or indirect contribution of many of the individuals. This sort of work of editing
books comes out to be a great source of learning process and experience. It will be
appropriate to acknowledge each and every member of the persons who rendered
me all possible support and assistance directly and indirectly while compiling the
book.
I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to Dr. Souframanien,
Scientist F of the Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology Division, BARC, Trombay,
Mumbai, India, for his valuable suggestions toward the preparation of this book.
I have to express my appreciation to Fernando P. Carvalho of the Radiological
Protection and Safety Unit (UPSR), Centre for Nuclear Science and Technology,
Technological and Nuclear Institute (ITN), Sacavém, Portugal, for reviewing in
spite of his very busy schedule. He made several important suggestions which nour-
ished the information of this book.
I am very grateful to Dr. Febina Mathew, assistant professor at the Department of
Plant Pathology, South Dakota State University, USA, for reviewing this book pro-
posal with fruitful comments.
I am pleased to express my gratitude to my spouse Mrs. D. Sukanya for her pro-
fuse support throughout the work while preparing the manuscript.
I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. K. Murugesan, professor of environ-
mental science at Periyar University, Salem, Tamil Nadu, India, for his critical and
valuable suggestions and developing ideas.
I extend my thanks to Periyar University, Salem, Tamil Nadu, India, for giving
the platform to achieve such kind of academic activities.
I am immensely grateful to the publishing company, Springer (India) Private
Limited, New Delhi, for enabling me to publish this edited book. The completion of
this work would have been impossible without the publisher’s support and
guidance.
D. Arulbalachandran
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