SUSTAINABILITY OF FOOD GRAINS PRODUCTION: A SPECIAL REFERENCE TO KARNATAKA

The Green Revolution, implemented with introduction of new production technologies to sustain food production in India. However, the benefits of this revolution became insipid within a few decades due to the overexploitation of land by chemicals and variations in climate. On the other hand, the new economic policy open the Indian internal economy to the global economy, resulting in the conversion of agricultural land into non-agricultural land, thereby reducing food grain production and promoting the growth of commercial crops for export. Consequently, the per capita availability of food grains declined continuously, impacting human capital through reduced nutrition intake. India is home to at least 15 percent of the world's malnourished population, and according to FAO estimates, over 190 million people go hungry every day in the country. Therefore, ensuring the sustainability of food grain production is a challenging task. Sustainability refers to meeting our own needs without compromising the needs of future generations. This present paper aims to analyze the reasons for the unsustainability of food grain production in Karnataka state. Variations in climatic and socio-economic conditions are major causes of unsustainable agriculture and food grain production. Using secondary data from various government reports, as well as simple statistical and GIS tools, this paper has identified several findings and suggestions on productive capacity of the soil, conserving soil health, cultivation costs, water conservation methods, food distribution system etc. Additionally, this paper suggests that government policies should focus on the primary sector, particularly on research and innovative ideas Keywords: Agriculture, Food Grains Production, Sustainability