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UPSC Essentials brings to you its initiative for the practice of Mains answer writing. It covers essential topics of static and dynamic parts of the UPSC Civil Services syllabus covered under various GS papers. This answer-writing practice is designed to help you as a value addition to your UPSC CSE Mains. Attempt today’s answer writing on questions related to topics of GS-3 to check your progress.
Discuss the ideas of regenerative farming and how they can improve soil health and sustainability in Indian agriculture.
Discuss how Artificial Intelligence (AI) might help promote sustainable urban development in India. What are the potential problems of incorporating AI into urban planning and management?
Introduction
— The introduction of the answer is essential and should be restricted to 3-5 lines. Remember, a one-liner is not a standard introduction.
— It may consist of basic information by giving some definitions from the trusted source and authentic facts.
Body
— It is the central part of the answer and one should understand the demand of the question to provide rich content.
— The answer must be preferably written as a mix of points and short paragraphs rather than using long paragraphs or just points.
— Using facts from authentic government sources makes your answer more comprehensive. Analysis is important based on the demand of the question, but do not over analyse.
— Underlining keywords gives you an edge over other candidates and enhances presentation of the answer.
— Using flowcharts/tree-diagram in the answers saves much time and boosts your score. However, it should be used logically and only where it is required.
Way forward/ conclusion
— The ending of the answer should be on a positive note and it should have a forward-looking approach. However, if you feel that an important problem must be highlighted, you may add it in your conclusion. Try not to repeat any point from body or introduction.
— You may use the findings of reports or surveys conducted at national and international levels, quotes etc. in your answers.
Self Evaluation
— It is the most important part of our Mains answer writing practice. UPSC Essentials will provide some guiding points or ideas as a thought process that will help you to evaluate your answers.
QUESTION 1: Discuss the ideas of regenerative farming and how they can improve soil health and sustainability in Indian agriculture.
Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.
Introduction:
— Regenerative agriculture is a type of farming that seeks to repair and improve the quality of soil utilised for agriculture. In addition to improving soil quality, regenerative agriculture can help to repair the water cycle, is an excellent instrument for carbon sequestration, and is a significant step towards climate change mitigation since it improves the resilience and vitality of the soil that produces the food that everyone consumes.
— The primary technology utilised in regenerative agriculture is the development of crops and vegetation that successfully collect carbon from the atmosphere while also serving as a carbon sequestering tool.
Body:
You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer:
— India is unlikely to meet food needs by 2050. Continuing with the current intensive agriculture regime, which depends heavily on chemical fertilisers and has resulted in alarming declines in soil health, is not an option. Sole reliance on such a costly, energy-intensive, fossil fuel-based agriculture system jeopardises India’s food, nutritional, and environmental security.
— The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) recently released its State of the Food and Agriculture report, which underscores the rising social, health, and environmental consequences of global agriculture and food systems. According to the FAO research, the Indian agrifood system has hidden costs that include negative impacts on health, the environment, and society.
— The continual application of synthetic fertilisers over the last six decades has lowered soil organic carbon content from a healthy national average of 2.4% in 1947 to only 0.4% now. This is concerning and significantly lower than the 1.5% threshold required to sustain soil’s arable qualities.
How regenerative farming can improve soil health and sustainability in Indian agriculture?
— Soil disturbance is minimised with conservation tillage.
— Keep the soil covered.
— Crop Rotation for Maximum Crop Diversity
— Agroforestry using perennial crops
— Integration of Livestock and Cropping Systems
— Biochar can improve soil fertility by increasing moisture retention.
— It is a novel method that multiple agricultural stakeholders need to be educated about because it entails renewing the top soil and enhancing biodiversity and input-use efficiency.
— Regenerative farming, based on agroecological principles, can help reduce input costs, improve soil health, promote sensible groundwater usage, reduce natural resource depletion, and raise farm output and profits.
Conclusion:
— India’s agriculture must be redesigned to ensure its food, nutritional, and environmental security. It is feasible to discover and scale up systems that use ecological intensification, such as natural or regenerative agriculture.
— Carbon credit generation in agriculture is critical for promoting remunerative agriculture by encouraging farmers to use regenerative/sustainable agriculture methods and connecting them to carbon markets in order to realise ecosystem services from such activities.
(Source: How regenerative farming can safeguard our soil by Harpinder Sandhu and Rajiv Kumar, iiss.icar.gov.in)
Points to Ponder
What are the major techniques used in regenerative farming?
Related Previous Year Questions
How does e-Technology help farmers in production and marketing of agricultural produce? Explain it. (2023)
What is Integrated Farming System? How is it helpful to small and marginal farmers in India? (2022)
QUESTION 2: Discuss how Artificial Intelligence (AI) might help promote sustainable urban development in India. What are the potential benefits of incorporating AI into urban planning and management?
Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.
Introduction:
— As India’s economy continues to grow, the country is predicted to add over 270 million people to its cities over the next two decades. Given the significant problems that come with such rapid urbanisation, developing routes for sustainable development becomes critical to ensuring that the country can fulfil the ideal of Viksit Bharat 2047 – the vision for a developed nation in the 100th year of independence – for all Indians.
— Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies can aid in the resolution of some of the most pressing data collection and coordination issues in the sustainable development and management of Indian cities.
Body:
You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer:
— Currently, a building authority must make a decision on whether to grant or deny a zoning change application for a patch of wetlands in the city based on precedents, arguments, and even speculation.
— However, AI-based decision support systems may swiftly generate simulated scenarios for the future, demonstrating how the decision on zoning modification will affect a wide range of economic, environmental, and development outcomes in the city.
— Again, for public transport to look as a viable alternative to vehicle ownership, last-mile connectivity to bus and Metro train services must be effortlessly and predictably available.
— AI systems can take over and outperform humans in elements of city management such as assisting with multi-factor decision-making and conducting routine actions with great dependability and precision.
— The Government of India identified urban sustainability as a key area for the development and integration of AI-based systems, announcing the formation of three AI centres in agriculture, health, and urban sustainability with an overall budget of Rs 990 crore in its Budget Announcement of 2023-24, with the mandate to ‘Make AI in India and Make AI work for India’.
— As part of Airawat’s operations, the eGovernance Foundation collaborated on developing a roadmap for the next generation of their renowned DIGIT platform for urban government. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MOHUA) has provided constant and thorough oversight and advice for Airawat’s activities, which they will continue to do throughout the project’s life.
Conclusion:
— India is racing against the clock in an endeavour to become wealthy before reaching old age in the next two decades. Given the level of ecosystem degradation that other countries have already inflicted on the planet as part of their economic development trajectories.
— India’s reliance on imports for non-renewable energy production, we must carve out a path for sustainable development that works for both the current generation and future generations.
(Source: How AI can help chart pathways of sustainable development for India by Sachchida Nand Tripathi)
Points to Ponder
Read more about Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare
Related Previous Year Question
Introduce the concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI). How does AI help clinical diagnosis? Do you perceive any threat to privacy of the individual in the use of AI in healthcare? (2023)
UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 83)
UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 84)
UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 84)
UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 83)
UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 84)
UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 83)
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