Nanoagriculture Bringing to Fruition from Ideation

Over the past ten thousand years, farmers have routinely using their knowledge to improve food production. Recent decades have seen a bleak with food shortage looming all over the globe, especially in the developing and under-developing regions due to population explosion. Factors such as shrinking landscape, lack of arable soil, pest epidemics, extensive use of pesticides & fertilizers and nature's fury (global warming, precipitation, flood, storm, untimely raining, tsunami, etc.,) aid to the decline of the crop's yield.

            India's already large population is expected to become world's largest in the next fifteen years, resulting an increase in the demand for food, with a need to be met through higher agriculture productivity. At present, yield per hectares is far below the global average. Rejuvenating agricultural productivity through technology-led intervention is gaining urgency and is to be made central to the economic growth endeavor of the country.

            The nano technology is the latest forerunner to introduce evolution in various fields of livelihood encompassing agriculture, food processing, medicine and comforting goods. Nano agriculture has changed the way the food is produced, processed, packaged and consumed. It has revolutionized the agri-sector with new tools and techniques to enhance crops to absorb key nutrients, fight diseases, targeted treatment, for early disease detection and withstand ecological stress.

            This article reflects an overview of potential applications of nano technology being researched and commercialized in the agri-sector. It also explores the top-to-bottom strategy for the infusion of the scientific and technical know-how of nano technology to evolve sound production pattern in-line with the demand pattern to strengthen the socio economic fabric of the country.