Role of Cooperative Farming and Emerging Technologies in Solving Critical Problems of India’s Agricultural Sector

Abstract

In India, where the majority of the population still resides in rural areas and is heavily dependent on agriculture, inclusive growth cannot be achieved without taking into account the rural population. Many farmers in India do not view farming as a viable source of income due to the sector's stagnant structure. As a result, the agricultural system needs to be revisited in order to make the required improvements. Furthermore, the incorporation of new technologies is very important, particularly in the contemporary era. As a result, the article begins by outlining the shortcomings of the APMC (Mandi System), which dominates India's current agricultural structure, before moving on to discuss other options, including corporate farming, contract farming, commercial farming, and cooperative farming, all of which are gaining attention among different governmental bodies. It aims to examine the benefits and shortcomings of each model, especially in the context of India. Then it goes on to discuss about the problems that modern agriculture is currently facing and how we may use developing technologies to solve them. It also discusses alternative modern farming practices while taking into account difficulties such as a lack of water, fertile soil, and land-related problems. For this, the research relies on governmental data, websites, and other secondary sources such as books, articles, and papers from various journals