With population on the rise, food security is a growing concern. While agriculture continues to be the main occupation for at least half the workforce of the country, Indian farmers still have many struggles to cope with.
Some challenges Indian Farmers face
- Climactic challenges. Droughts are an annual concern. Variations in temperature, humidity and heavy rainfalls at inappropriate time periods of the crop cycle can also adversely affect the overall yield.
- Soil quality, erosion and degradation affect the quality of harvest.
- Technological restraints in rural areas.
- Inadequate knowledge amongst farmers regarding marketing of agricultural produce and optimizing their revenues.
- Damage to crops by pests, from farms to the finished stage.
Let’s take a closer look at how pests impact agriculture.
How Pests Damage Crops
Pests can not only infest crop and lower its yield, but also significantly lower agricultural production thereby threatening food security.
Pest species and the harm they cause involve:
- Insects: Insects are a big threat, causing damage to crops in two ways. They can either cause direct injury to the crop, by eating leaves/burrowing holes in stems, fruit or roots. Insects can also cause indirect damage by transmitting bacterial/viral/fungal infection to the crop.
- Birds: Birds like pigeons, sparrows, geese are a major concern, especially with edible crops such as peas, beans, fruits, etc. They are known to attack crops in flocks, all year round.
- Rodents: Rats and mice can often cause unsalvageable damage with their scavenging and gnawing, as they can eat everything, from seeds, leaves, roots, grains, fruits to whole young plants. They can infest crops in barns, storage areas, urinate everywhere and can also transmit salmonella, a bacterial infection to crop. In addition, rats and mice can also cause damage to farming equipment. Such rodents gnaw their way through wood, concrete, metal, electrical wiring, etc.
- Moths and beetles: Moths and beetles can infest crops, especially in the post-harvest period, damaging raw material and finished products.
It is evident how pests can cause substantial damage to not only crops, but also to agricultural equipment. This hampers productivity and increases expenses in repairs, leading to huge economic losses. This is why it is crucial that not only Indian farmers, but farmers worldwide take the right measures to protect crops from infestations.
How To Save Crops From Pests
Pest management to protect crops is a more efficient tool than eliminating pests completely. This can be achieved in the following ways:
- Crop rotation: Alternating the species of crops that are cultivated every year can prevent pests from getting used to the type of plants grown there. It also helps increase fertility of soil, as a bonus.
- Inter-cropping: Simultaneously cultivating two or more crops on the same field can be used to attract pests from their target host plant.
- Crop diversity: Increasing the diversity of crops, fruits and vegetables can also help protect from pests and garner more security for the farmers.
- Mechanical and physical control measures: These include tillage, mowing, cutting, mulching, organic soil coverage and barriers, which help destroy weeds and disrupt pest life cycle.
- Biological control: This suggests use pests to fight pests, meaning use nature enemies of insect pests such as predators (like lady bugs, mites, etc) to antagonize pests.
- Organic pesticides: Instead of chemical pesticides which can also harm the quality of produce, organic pesticides use naturally occurring substances such as pyrethrin and rotenone to protect from pests.
Post-Harvest Protection Of Crops From Pests
It’s imperative to protect crops during post-harvest storage period. Hermetic storage technology is a popular chemical free and organic method that can aid Indian farmers in this endeavour. It provides an air-tight barrier, protecting the crop from external environment. This keeps the crop safe from not only unfavourable climatic conditions, but also from infestation by pests.
Save Grain Bags offers hermetic storage bags and pouches, the perfect solutions to keep your crops safe from pests, and in their most optimal condition.
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