in IAS NOVA PRO 2020

MOST PROBABLE TOPICS – PART 3

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1.Green-Ag Project

  • The Union government on July 28, 2020, launched the Green-Ag Project in Mizoram, to reduce emissions from agriculture and ensure sustainable agricultural practices.

  • Mizoram is one of the five states where the project will be implemented. Other states include Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Uttarakhand.

  • The project is designed to achieve multiple global environmental benefits in at least 1.8 million hectares (ha) of land in five landscapes, with mixed land use systems. It aims to bring at least 104,070 ha of farms under sustainable land and water management.

  • The project will also ensure 49 million Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq) sequestered or reduced through sustainable land use and agricultural practices.

  • The Green-Ag Project is funded by the Global Environment Facility, while the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation, and Farmers’ Welfare (DAC&FW) is the national executing agency. Other key players involved in its implementation are Food and Agricultre Organization (FAO) and the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).

  • DownToEarth

2.  State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World

  • The report was jointly produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Fund for Agriculture, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the UN World Food Programme and the World Health Organization.
  • Hunger has grown in step with the global population over the last five years.
  • The greatest number of undernourished people were in Asia (381 million). Africa came second (250 million), followed by Latin America and the Caribbean (48 million).
  • On the basis of current trends, by 2030, Africa would be home to more than half of the world’s chronically hungry.

3. 27 Pesticides banned in India

  • The draft notification, titled ‘Banning of Insecticides Order 2020’, prohibits the import, manufacture, sale, transport, distribution and use of 27 pesticides, including Acephate, Atrazine, Benfuracarb, Butachlor, Captan, Carbofuran, Chlorpyriphos, 2,4-D, Deltamethrin and others.
  • It also proposes to ban the chemical Malathion that was used extensively by the government during the recent locust attack.
  • Out of the 27 pesticides which are proposed to be banned three are Monocrotophos, Methomyl and Carbofuran which are associated with high levels of toxicity leading to even farmers’ deaths.
  • They have also been declared as extremely hazardous or highly hazardous by the World Health Organization (WHO).

4. Climate Resilient Zero Budget Natural Farming- CRZBNF

  • Climate Resilient Zero Budget Natural Farming, or CRZBNF, is a farming approach that believes in natural growth of crops without adding any synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, or other products/inputs from outside the farming system. The word Zero Budget refers to the zero net cost of production. This paradigm relies on self-reliance when it comes to inputs like Seed too.Livestock integration in the form of native breed of cows (given the higher adaptive capability, easy management and sentiment of association that farmers have with a cow) is stressed upon, so that many inoculants used in this approach can be derived from cow dung and cow urine based preparations. CRZBNF is an approach within the broad paradigm of agro-ecology or Regenerative Agriculture, which have the capacity to reverse global warming and take up carbon sequestration, in addition to adaptation to climate change.
  • ZBNF advocates mulching of crop residues to promote moisture retention in soil and increase humus. It also involves waaphasa (soil aeration) to reduce water consumption.

5. Pesticides Management Bill,2020

  • The Pesticides Management Bill, 2020 has been approved by the Union Cabinet.

    • The Bill will regulate the business of pesticides and compensate farmers in case of losses from the use of agrochemicals.
      • Agrochemicals imply chemicals used in agriculture, such as a pesticide or fertilizer.
    • Currently, the pesticide business is regulated by rules under the Insecticides Act 1968.

    Key Features of the Bill

    • Pesticide Data: It will empower farmers by providing them with all the information about the strength and weakness of pesticides, the risk and alternatives. All information will be available openly as data in digital format and in all languages.
    • Compensation: The Bill has a unique feature in the form of a provision for compensations in case there is any loss because of the spurious or low quality of pesticides.
      • If required, a central fund will be formed to take care of the compensations.
    • Organic Pesticides: The Bill also intends to promote organic pesticides.
    • Registration of Pesticide Manufacturers: All pesticide manufacturers have to be registered and bound by the new Act, once it is passed. The advertisements of pesticides will be regulated so there should be no confusion or no cheating by the manufacturers.
    • PRS Link

6. Pollination  in India

  • Most food crops in India need insect (primarily bee) pollination.

  • Oilseeds (sunflower, safflower), vegetables (carrot, coriander, cucumber, onion, etc) and fruits (apple, almond, apricot, peach, etc), all rely on pollinators, according to a study published by the International Research Journal of Natural and Applied Sciences.

  • Pollination by flies (myophily) is economically important as well: In tropical areas, flies are primary pollinators of the cacao, mango, cashew, tea and other cash crops, said a study by the Zoological Survey of India.

  • Insect pollinators are responsible not just for the reproduction of crops, but also increases in yield.

  • Bees,bats and Birds– important pollinators- asked in UPSC Prelims earlier.
  • Rapid Assessment of Pollinators’ Status–  a report published by the FAO.

7. e- NAM Portal

  • The National Agricultural Market (e-NAM) is a pan-India electronic trading portal.
  • It was launched in April 2016 with the objective of integrating the existing Mandis to “One Nation One Market” for agricultural commodities in India.
  • It networks the existing APMC mandis to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities and has a vision:
    • To promote uniformity in agriculture marketing by streamlining procedures across the integrated markets.
    • Removing information asymmetry between buyers and sellers and promoting real time price discovery based on actual demand and supply.
  • It provides for contactless remote bidding and mobile-based anytime payment for which traders do not need to either visit mandis or banks for the same.
  • Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) is the lead agency for implementing e-NAM.
    • It functions under the aegis of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.

8. Dalbergia sissoo

  • known commonly as North Indian rosewood, is a fast-growing, hardy deciduous rosewood tree native to the Indian Subcontinent and Southern Iran. D. Sissoo is a large, crooked tree with long, leathery leaves and whitish or pink flowers.Shisham is the best known economic timber species of the rosewood genus sold internationally, but it is also used as fuel wood and for shade and shelter. After teak, it is the most important cultivated timber tree of Bihar, which is the largest producer of shisham timber in India. In Bihar, the tree is planted on roadsides, along canals and as a shade tree for tea plantations. It is also commonly planted in southern Indian cities like Bangalore as a street tree.

9. Pusa Yashasvi

Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) has released a new variety of wheat named Pusa Yashasvi.

  • It is also known as HD-3226.
  • It has higher genetic yield potential (at 79.6 quintals) as compared to other varieties of wheat.
  • Pusa Yashasvi has a higher content of zinc, protein, and gluten (which contributes to the strength and elasticity of the dough).
  • The best feature of this variety of wheat is that it is highly resistant against all major rust fungi viz. yellow/stripe, brown/leaf, and black/stem.
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10. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ)

  • It is an anti-malarial drug ,used for treating rheumatoid arthritis and malaria, India is one of the largest producers of HCQ in the world and exports $50m worth of it every year.
  • India produces 70 per cent of the world’s supply of hydroxychloroquine. India gets the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) that is used to manufacture HCQ from China.

11.Kuttanad Below Sea Level Farming System

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  • Kuttanad Wetland Agriculture System is unique, as it is the only system in India that favours rice cultivation below sea level in the land created by draining delta swamps in brackish waters.
  • The Kuttanad system is a complex mosaic of fragmented agricultural landscapes divided in three structures:wetlands,water areas and garden lands.
  • Its a GIAHS site- Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System.

12. Hantaviruses

  • A family of viruses spread mainly by rodents and can cause varied disease syndromes in people worldwide.  Infection with any hantavirus can produce hantavirus disease in people.

13. .Conservation Agriculture (CA)

  • It is defined as a sustainable agriculture production system that comprises of a set of farming practices adapted to the requirements of crops and local conditions of each region.

14. Idu Mishmi Tribes

  • Idu Mishmi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh is protesting against the declaration of Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary (DWS) as Tiger Reserve. Because declaration of an area as tiger reserve prohibits many types of work like cutting trees, collecting wood for fuel and agricultural and tourism activities for the indigenous Idu Mishmi people. Idu Mishmi people traditionally follow an animist and shamanistic faith and believe that tigers are their elder siblings. Tigers are never hunted by Idu Mishmi and even If a tiger is killed in self-defense, it will receive the same burial as a human being.
  • Idu Mishmi Textiles got a GI Tag in 2020.

15. Chenchu Tribes- Andhra Pradesh

  • They are involved in tiger conservation at  Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR). Tribe has been coexisting with tigers and wild animals for long without disturbing the ecological balance, which ensures enough water and fodder for the herbivores.

16. Maldhari Tribes- PVTG ,Gujarat

  • The success of lion conservation in Gir forest area is due to peaceful coexistence of  Maldhari tribes with lions.

17. Hysteresis

  • The idea of hysteresis is used extensively in the area of labor economics, specifically with reference to the unemployment rate.According to theories based on hysteresis, severe economic downturns (recession) and/or persistent stagnation (slow demand growth, usually after a recession) cause unemployed individuals to lose their job skills (commonly developed on the job) or to find that their skills have become obsolete, or become demotivated, disillusioned or depressed or lose job-seeking skills.

18. Carbon Farming

  • Carbon farming is a name for a variety of agricultural methods aimed at sequestering atmospheric carbon into the soil. Increasing the carbon content of soil can aid plant growth, increase soil organic matter (improving agricultural yield), improve soil water retention capacity,and reduce fertilizer use(and the accompanying emissions of greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O).

19. Vermicompost

  • Vermicompost is the product or process of organic material degradation using various species of worms, usually red wigglers, white worms, and earthworms, to create a heterogeneous mixture of decomposing vegetable or food waste (excluding meat, dairy, fats, or oils), bedding materials, and vermicast. Vermicast, also known as worm castings, worm humus or worm manure, is the end-product of the breakdown of organic matter by species of earthworm.
  • Vermicomposting can also be applied for treatment of sewage sludge.
  • Composting is an aerobic method of decomposing organic solid wastes. It can therefore be used to recycle organic material. The process involves decomposition of organic material into a humus-like material, known as compost, which is a good fertilizer for plants.

20. Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative

  • It is an innovative method of sugarcane production using less seeds, less water and optimum utilization of fertilizers and land to achieve more yields.
  • Asked earlier in UPSC Prelims

Benefits-

  • Improved water use efficiency
  • Optimum use of fertilizers favour balanced availability of nutrients
  • Better aeration and more penetration of sunlight favours higher sugar content
  • Reduced cost of cultivation and increased returns  through intercropping

21. UMMID

  • UMMID (Unique Methods of Management and  treatment of Inherited Disorders)
  • It aims to create awareness about genetic disorders amongst clinicians and establish molecular  diagnostics in hospitals so that the benefits of developments in medical genetics could reach patients.
  • It is supported by Department of Biotechnology.

22. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)

Indian Railways (IR) is taking up Radio Frequency  Identification (RFID) project which aims to automatically and accurately track and trace rolling stock as they move  across the country with a special focus on improving their safety and reliability.

  • RFID Tags by 2021
  • under Make in India initiative.

RFID Technology

  • Sends data through radio waves.
  • Faster connection
  • Operational Range – 100 m
  • One way information only.

23. FASTag

  • Under  “One Nation One FASTag” scheme,  the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is  trying to get states on board so that one tag can be  used seamlessly across highways.
  • Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for payments.
  • Valid for 5 years and can be reacharged .
  • It is affixed on the windscreen that can enable  electronic payment when it crosses a booth without stopping.

24. Colistin

Health ministry has banned the manufacture, sale and distribution of the antibiotic colistin and its formulations for food producing animals and animal feed supplements.

  • The drug has been used for treating infections caused by Gram-negative bacilli, which are responsible for various diseases such as plague, cholera and typhoid.
  • It has side effects of nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity.
  • Misuse of colistin in the poultry industry is said to be a major reason for the increase in antibiotic  resistance in India.
  • According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Colistin is a “reserve” antibiotic, which means it is supposed to be considered a “last resort” option.

25. HYDROTHERMAL CARBONISATION

  • A research team at IIT Kharagpur has developed a technology which can generate energy from solid waste with high moisture content.
  • The new technology – Hydro Thermal Carbonization (HTC) – can convert wet  municipal solid waste to biofuel, soil amendment and absorbents.
  • The moisture in the waste is used to the advantage of the process which uses water for the reaction. The biofuel generated as the recovered output can help curb air pollution.
  • The technology can be used by the civic bodies to effectively manage solid waste.
  • Once the organic waste is entered into the process, the outputs generated are all usable.
  • All outputs can be used for one purpose or the other, including the water which can be converted to biogas or methane.
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500 MOST PROBABLE TOPICS – PART 2

500 Most Probable Topics – Part 4