Question 1
Which soil, water and crop constraints matter in the local farming system?
National priority 05 · Food & Agriculture
Food & Agriculture
A productive, resilient food system that connects farmers, water, soil, nutrition and fair market access.
A productive farm. A safer food system.
Connect soil, water, farm decisions, storage, markets and nutrition. Study the farmer’s full costs and net livelihood, not yield alone. Waste recovery and flood protection belong in a wider system that protects workers, consumers, land and water.
Question 2
Will a proposed process produce a safe, useful output with a viable market?
Question 3
Who will operate, maintain and verify it over several seasons?
Data reference table
Evidence Snapshot
Read each value with its reporting period, population and limitations. A historical national reference is not a local baseline or proof that an IFT proposal works.
9 source-linked reference records. Publication checks do not independently reproduce the underlying data.
| Signal | Reference Value | Period / Population | How to Read It | Source Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foodgrain production | 357.73 million metric tonnes Historical reference | Agricultural year 2024–25 India; total foodgrain output | A national production reference for food-supply planning. Limitations: Production is not household food access, dietary quality or a district baseline. Use the cited publication vintage; crop estimates may be revised. | Press Information Bureau / Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Official government backgrounder Record type: official estimate reported in government backgrounder India’s Resilient Production Systems in Agriculture Published: 2026-03-26 Publication checked: 2026-11-04 Value, period and coverage checked in publication |
| Rice production | 150.18 million tonnes Historical reference | Agricultural year 2024–25 India; rice output | Shows one major component of the national foodgrain supply. Limitations: Does not measure stocks, distribution losses, affordability or consumption. Not a local farm yield. | Press Information Bureau / Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Official government backgrounder Record type: official estimate reported in government backgrounder India’s Resilient Production Systems in Agriculture Published: 2026-03-26 Publication checked: 2026-11-04 Value, period and coverage checked in publication |
| Pulses production | 25.68 million tonnes Historical reference | Agricultural year 2024–25 India; pulses output | A crop-specific supply reference for food security and diversification. Limitations: Does not establish protein intake, import dependence or farmer profitability. | Press Information Bureau / Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Official government backgrounder Record type: official estimate reported in government backgrounder India’s Resilient Production Systems in Agriculture Published: 2026-03-26 Publication checked: 2026-11-04 Value, period and coverage checked in publication |
| Horticultural production | 370.74 million tonnes Historical reference | Agricultural year 2024–25 India; fruits, vegetables and other horticultural crops | A reference for the scale of horticultural production. Limitations: The official backgrounder is a synthesis. It does not show local crop suitability, water demand or net returns; do not mix it with earlier advance estimates. | Press Information Bureau / Government of India Official government backgrounder Record type: official estimate reported in government backgrounder Accelerating India’s High Value Crop Diversification Published: 2026-04-19 Publication checked: 2026-11-04 Value, period and coverage checked in publication |
| Estimated milk production | 239.30 million tonnes Historical reference | Survey period 1 March 2023–29 February 2024; reported as 2023–24 India; milk production estimated by the Integrated Sample Survey | Provides a national dairy-output reference. Limitations: A survey estimate, not an administrative count of every litre. It does not establish household consumption, quality or producer net income. | Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying / Press Information Bureau Official government release Record type: official sample survey estimate Release of Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics 2024 Published: 2024-11-26 Publication checked: 2026-11-04 Value, period and coverage checked in publication |
| Estimated egg production | 142.77 billion eggs Historical reference | Survey period 1 March 2023–29 February 2024; reported as 2023–24 India; egg production estimated by the Integrated Sample Survey | Provides a national poultry-output reference. Limitations: Not a district flock census, food-safety result or measure of access to animal-source foods. | Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying / Press Information Bureau Official government release Record type: official sample survey estimate Release of Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics 2024 Published: 2024-11-26 Publication checked: 2026-11-04 Value, period and coverage checked in publication |
| Cereal post-harvest loss range | 3.89–5.92% Historical reference | NABCONS study published 2022; field dates not stated in linked release Indian cereal commodities covered by the study | The range describes differing commodity loss estimates. Limitations: It is not a confidence interval or one rate for all farms. Do not add it to fruit or vegetable percentages; survey methods and commodity coverage matter. | Ministry of Food Processing Industries / NABCONS Official government release Record type: government commissioned primary survey estimate Published: 2022-12-20 Publication checked: 2026-11-04 Value, period and coverage checked in publication |
| Fruit post-harvest loss range | 6.02–15.05% Historical reference | NABCONS study published 2022; field dates not stated in linked release Indian fruit commodities covered by the study | A reference for investigating storage, transport and handling losses. Limitations: Commodity estimates differ. This does not establish losses in a selected district, nor prove that one cold-chain design will reduce them. | Ministry of Food Processing Industries / NABCONS Official government release Record type: government commissioned primary survey estimate Published: 2022-12-20 Publication checked: 2026-11-04 Value, period and coverage checked in publication |
| Vegetable post-harvest loss range | 4.87–11.61% Historical reference | NABCONS study published 2022; field dates not stated in linked release Indian vegetable commodities covered by the study | Shows the reported spread of losses across vegetable commodities. Limitations: Not a uniform national rate, a confidence interval or a current local measurement. Do not combine percentages with other commodity groups. | Ministry of Food Processing Industries / NABCONS Official government release Record type: government commissioned primary survey estimate Published: 2022-12-20 Publication checked: 2026-11-04 Value, period and coverage checked in publication |
Different surveys, administrative records, estimates and reporting years are not interchangeable. No combined IFT score is calculated from these rows.
Evidence coverage and review log (CSV) · Structured evidence register (JSON)
Every available subject in this pillar
All 18 topics, organised here.
Read the topic names below and open the subject directly. The groupings are for navigation; each original topic remains separate.
Core subjects & practical pathways (14)
Agriculture → Industry Connection ›Circular Waste-to-Agriculture ›Farmer Income & Prosperity ›Farmer Organisations & Cooperatives ›Food Safety & Clean Food ›Food Security & Nutrition ›Government Land & District Agriculture Employment ›Horticulture, Agroforestry & Diversification ›Livestock, Dairy, Poultry & Fisheries ›Post-Harvest Management ›Food Processing & Rural Value Addition ›Agricultural Research & Innovation ›Seeds, Inputs & Farm Quality ›Soil Health & Land Productivity ›
Resources, resilience & long-term planning (3)
Technology, delivery & infrastructure (1)
IFT working ideas · Proposals for research
Practical ideas to investigate.
These are questions and proposals to develop, not completed programmes or established results.
City sanitation to tested agricultural resources
Study collection and treatment of urban sewage and faecal sludge, with suitable facilities outside dense neighbourhoods only where environmental siting and transport are justified. Compare decentralised options too.
What must be checked
Keep industrial effluent out. Require suitable treatment, pathogen and chemical testing, worker protection, batch traceability and crop-specific approval before any agricultural use. Untreated sewage must not be applied to fields.
Clean food-waste collection for soil products
Prevent edible food waste first. Collect unavoidable food scraps separately from plastic, glass, chemicals and mixed refuse. Compare managed composting and anaerobic digestion.
What must be checked
Test the finished product and match nutrients to soil and crop needs. Compost is not a pesticide and must not be promised as a complete substitute for every fertiliser or crop-protection input.
Farm and city flood-path study
Map drainage catchments, blocked channels, floodplains, storage areas and upstream/downstream effects. Compare retention, restored flow paths, warnings and maintenance.
What must be checked
Evaluate whole-catchment effects so protecting one neighbourhood does not transfer flooding to another. A pilot needs local hydrology, permissions and measured results.
The three agriculture proposals develop the owner’s ideas. Reference checks: WHO safe use of excreta in agriculture and FAO food safety in a circular economy. Crop use and project design still require current local technical and regulatory review.
Connected priorities.
10 questions and answers
Questions about Food & Agriculture
What is the aim of the Food & Agriculture pillar?
Connect soil, water, farm decisions, storage, markets and nutrition so research follows the whole food system. Farmer net income matters alongside output.
Can city sewage simply be supplied to farms as manure?
No direct-use assumption is made. A proposed recovery chain needs separated inputs, suitable treatment, product testing, permissions, safe handling and monitoring before any agricultural use.
How could food waste become a useful farm input?
Study separate collection, contamination control, treatment quality, transport and real farm demand together. Recovered material should not be called safe merely because it is organic.
How should flood protection connect with farming?
Study catchments, drainage, flood routes, land use and the farms affected. Compare upstream and downstream effects so protection in one place does not increase harm elsewhere.
Why should a farmer-income study include costs?
Higher sales or yield can coexist with higher spending and risk. Record inputs, labour, borrowing, losses, transport, payment timing and the income retained by the farmer.
How should crop and water choices be compared?
Use local soil, water availability, climate, farm capability and market evidence. Test alternatives over a suitable period instead of prescribing one crop for every district.
Where do storage and processing fit?
They should respond to a verified crop flow and buyer need. Compare quality, losses, energy, maintenance and full operating cost before choosing a facility.
How can small farmers participate in proposed projects?
Check landholding, access, upfront costs, group arrangements and payment terms. A project should explain who can join, who may be excluded and how complaints are handled.
What would a useful agricultural pilot record?
Name the place, participating farms, starting conditions, proposed method, costs, responsible team and safety checks. Compare farm and environmental outcomes across relevant seasons.
Are these ideas already proven projects?
The page presents research proposals. Local suitability, product safety, finances, operating capacity and measured results must be established before a success claim is made.