Page 49 - Abhivruddhi

it can defend itself against pathogen attack. In other words, these
microorganisms can work as bodyguards by producing metabolites for
plant defense. It can thus save inputs towards the control of pathogens.
Indeed, this can be a novel upcoming technology in agriculture if proved
successful in fields (Pathan and Deshpande, 2019).Value addition to the
agriculture
In India, around 350 million tons of agricultural waste are generated
every year. There are a variety of wastes which include: fertilizers, grains,
rice and wheat straw, sugarcane bagasse, weed clippings, leaf litter,
sawdust, to name a few. In northern India, for example, the burning of
15-20 million tons agro-waste is done twice a year after harvesting rice
and wheat. However, the burning results in emission of greenhouse gases,
air pollutants, volatile organic compounds, smog affecting the air quality
and most of the living forms including humans.
Different approaches to use agricultural waste for useful purposes
include: compost formation for soil application, biochar production,
biochemicals for bioremediation of heavy metals removal, and biofuel
production, etc. Furthermore, some agricultural solid wastes could
be used in cement mixes, glass manufacturing, paper making, ethanol
production, cattle feed, electricity generation, mulching, organic
composts, etc. The attempts are being made by new startups to convert
agro-waste into self-binding fibres useful for packaging, and fabrics.
Number of tribal families use agro-waste for the mushroom production
which is a rich protein source in their diet.

Socio- economic issues and challenges
The increased production is one aspect of successful agriculture. As
per the author’s opinion, the control on the post-harvest losses is a major
concern too. Globally 33% of total produce is lost in the post-harvest
stage, while in India, almost 40% produce is lost after harvest before
reaching to the customer.
There are few man-made chains for marketing the agricultural produce
and related products as the important challenges to reach to the end users,
either farmers or customers:
• Manufacturer- Consultant-Distributor- Shop keeper- Farmer It
is difficult for a manufacturer of agro-inputs, in general, and bio-inputs
(bio fertilizers, bio pesticides, etc.), in particular to give product with a
reasonable price to the farmer because of this chain which is unavoidable
especially for new entrepreneurs. As a result farmers are paying almost 3

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