The National Policy for Farmers, 2007
The National Policy for Farmers, 2007, on recommendations of National Commission on Farmers, has provided for a holistic approach to development of the farm sector. The broad areas of its coverage include:
(i) Focus will be on the economic well being of the farmers in addition to production and productivity.
(ii) Asset Reforms: To ensure that a farmer household in villages either possesses or has access to a productive asset or marketable skill.
(iii) Water Use Efficiency: The concept of maximizing yield and income per unit or irrigation water in all the crop production programmes would be accorded priority with stress on awareness and efficiency of water use.
(iv) New technologies like biotechnology, information and communication technology (ICT), renewable energy technology, space applications and nano-technology would be encouraged for improving productivity per unit of land and water on a sustainable basis.
(v) National Agricultural Bio-security System would be established to organize a co-ordinate agricultural bio-security programme.
(vi) Seeds and Soil Health: Quality seeds, disease free planting material and soil health enhancement hold the key to raising small farm productivity. Every farmer is to be issued with a soil health passbook containing integrated information on farm soils with corresponding advisories.
(vii) Support Services for Women: Appropriate support services like creches, child care centers and adequate nutrition needed by women working in fields would be funded.
(viii) Credit and Insurance-. The financial services would be galvanized for timely, adequate and easy reach to the farmers at reasonable interest rates.
