A DIALECTICAL PERSPECTIVE OF AGRICULTURAL-RESEARCH FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

In spite of increased food production in the country due to green revo lution, current levels of production cannot be sustained to meet the g rowing needs of the country. This is because of concurrent degradation of environment in terms of salinity, water-logging, soil erosion and air as well as water pollution, etc. How do we maximize productivity t o meet the food needs of the country without deteriorating the environ ment? This is a challenging task and it requires altogether a differen t approach in the very basic methodology of agricultural research. We discuss this approach-an approach based on dialectical principles. A d ialectical perspective as against the hitherto practised reductionist approach, is presented in relation to sustainability in agricultural p roduction with several illustrative examples.