(The Gist of Kurukshetra) PROTECTED CULTIVATION [OCTOBER-2019]

(The Gist of Kurukshetra) PROTECTED CULTIVATION

[OCTOBER-2019]

PROTECTED CULTIVATION

Protected cultivation or greenhouse cultivation is the most contemporary approach to produce, mainly, horticultural crops qualitatively and quantitatively and has spread extensively over the world in the last few decades. It is also known as Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) and is highly productive, encourages water and land conservation as well as protects the environment.
The technology involves cultivation of horticultural crops in a controlled environment wherein factors like the temperature, humidity, light, soil, water, fertilisers etc. are manipulated to attain the maximum produce as well as allow a regular supply of them even during the off-season.
By adopting protected cultivation technology, the growers can look forward to a better and additional remuneration for quality produce. The main purpose of protected cultivation is to create a favourable environment for the sustained growth of crop, so as to realise its maximum potential even in adverse climatic conditions.
Protected cultivation technology offers several advantages to produce vegetables, flowers, hybrid seeds of high quality with minimum risks that arise due to uncertainty of weather while at the same time ensuring efficient use of resources.
This becomes relevant to farmers having small land holdings who would be benefitted by a technology, which helps them to produce more crops each year from their land, particularly during the off-season when the prices are higher. This kind of crop production system could be adopted as a profitable agro-enterprise, especially in peri-urban areas.
At present, there is a large gap between the demand and production of these crops to meet both quantitative and qualitative needs of domestic and export markets which are difficult to be bridged with the traditional cultivation practices.
Thus, protected high-value horticultural crops have great potential to enhance income especially of small farmers in India if appropriate technological interventions are made.