5 Key Measures to Boost Farm Production

 The agriculture sector has done an admirable job of keeping pace with a growing population till now. But the same growth rate is now questioned. 

At current rates of productivity growth, by 2030, sub-Saharan Africa will meet only 8% of its food demand through productivity growth and South Asia will meet only 25% of its food demand through productivity growth. If the trend continues, the world may not be able to sustainably provide the food, feed, fiber, and biofuels needed for a growing, more affluent global population. 

This demands practices and innovation for productive agriculture. 

What can be done to boost farm productivity?

Here are the 5 key measures that every farmer should adopt to boost farm production.

Farm equipment– 

Use of Agricultural equipment like straw combine, self combine harvesters, rotavator, cultivator, power tiller, etc. reduces the dependency on labour significantly, improving the quality of life of the farmers on the other hand. It encourages large-scale farming and eases the farming operation which ultimately boosts the farm output. By increasing the efficiency and speed of farming operations modern farm equipment like a combine harvester helps farmers get cleaner and high-quality grain in minimum time that can be sold quickly in the market. 

Plant more densely– 

The productivity of farms can be improved considerably by planting crops closely as it induces precocity, increases yield, and improves fruit quality. It not only enables the mechanization of fruit crop production but also facilitates more efficient use of fertilizers, water, solar radiation, fungicides and weedicides.

Smart water management- 

Water is an essential need for planting crops, and with the proper combination of water and soil nutrients, crop yields can be boosted manifold under irrigated agriculture. The use of a sprinkler irrigation system increases the farm output by up to 50%. 

Quality seeds- 

The seed quality directly correlates with a farmer’s crop yield. High-quality seeds are superior to other seed varieties in physiological purity and are usually free from seed-borne diseases. Thus quality seeds that are rated good for germination viability, genetic purity, and genetic characteristics exhibit wonderful performance in the field.

Plant protection 

Plant protection is vital for any farm productivity. According to farming scientists, about 5% of crops are destroyed by insects, pests, and diseases. Most of the farmers are oblivious of the use of medicines and insecticides developed in recent years but to improve farm productivity the yields must use these medicines. The farmers should employ their technical staff in spraying pesticides and insecticides for crop protection.

Along with the use of self combined harvesters and plant protection techniques many other practices like the use of genetically modified high yield crops, improved market access and better use of information technology are the major contributory factors augmenting farm production.