AI3019 Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security Syllabus:

AI3019 Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security Syllabus – Anna University Regulation 2021

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

 To study the importance of sustainable agriculture for the growing population, various resources required and their sustainability.
 Importance of science, food security and ecological balance.

UNIT I SUSTAINABILITY OF NATURAL RESOURCES

Land Resources of India, Population and land, Land utilization, Net Area Sown, changes in cropping pattern, land degradation. Rainfall forecasting – Adequacy of Rainfall for crop growth – Rainfall, Drought and production instability – Irrigation potential – Available, created and utilized – River basins; Watersheds and Utilizable surface water – Utilizable water in future (Ground water & Surface water)

UNIT II SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

Sustainable agriculture-definition. Agro-ecosystems – Impact of climate change on Agriculture, Effect on crop yield, effect on Soil fertility – Food grain production at State Level – Indicators of Sustainable food availability – Indicators of food production sustenance.

UNIT III ORGANIC FARMING

Natural farming principles – Sustainability in rain fed farming – organic farming – principles and practices. Organic farming-regulation and sustainability – The scale and productivity of organic sustainable systems.

UNIT IV SUSTAINABLE FOOD PRODUCTION FOR FOOD SECURITY

Performance of Major Food Crops over the past decades – trends in food production – Decline in total factor productivity growth – Demand and supply projections – Impact of market force –Vertical farming – Controlled Environment Agriculture – Genetics diversity – GMO’s. Sustainable food security indicators and index – Indicator of sustainability of food Security.

UNIT V POLICES AND PROGRAMMES FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY

Food and Crop Production polices – Agricultural credit Policy – Crop insurance –Policies of Natural Resources Use – Policies for sustainable Livelihoods – Virtual water and trade – Sustainable food Security Action Plan.

TOTAL: 45 PERIODS
TEXTBOOKS:

1. M.S.Swaminathan, Science and sustainable food security, World Scientific Publishing Co., Singapore, 2010.
2. B.K.Desai and Pujari, B.T. Sustainable Agriculture: A vision for future, New India Publishing Agency, New Delhi, 2007.

REFERENCES:

1. Swarna S. Vepa et al., Atlas of the sustainability of food security. MSSRF, Chennai, 2004.
2. Sithamparanathan, J., Rengasamy, A., Arunachalam, N. Ecosystem principles and sustainable agriculture, Scitech Publications, Chennai, 1999.
3. Tanji, K. K., and Yaron, B. Management of water use in agriculture, Springer Verlag, Berlin, Germany, 1994.

COURSE OUTCOMES:

CO1 Understand methods to sustain land resources.
CO2 Cognize approaches to sustain water resources and its utilization for agriculture and allied activities.
CO3 Design and develop new, improved and sustainable systems of agriculture and allied activities.
CO4 Understand new technologies for improving food security.
CO5 Comprehend policies to achieve sustainable farming and food security.