Journal of Global Biosciences ISSN 2320-1355 Volume 5, Number 9, 2016, pp. 4568-4578 Website: www.mutagens.co.in E-mail: [email protected] [email protected]

Research Paper IMPACT OF RECENT AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES ON FOOD SAFETY AND HUMAN HEALTH – A CASE STUDY IN MANDAL OF NIZAMABAD DISTRICT Deepak Parmar1 and B. Vidya Vardhini2

1Assistant Professor in Botany, Government Degree College, Armoor, District Nizamabad. 2Professor in Botany, University College of Science, University, Dichpally - 503322, District Nizamabad.

INTRODUCTION Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) are practices “that address Environmental, Economic, and Social Sustainability for on farm processes and result in safe and quality food and non-food agri products” (FAO CAOG 2003 GAP Paper).These four pillars of GAP (economic viability, environmental sustainability, social acceptability and food safety and quality are included in most private and public sector standards, but the scope which they actually cover varies widely. Indian farming needs to be commercialized in order to maximize farm income and for which we need to meet quality standards and demands in national and international market. Along with the globalization, dramatically changing economy, new inventions in food science and technology and changing pattern of food consumption, some new contaminants, toxins and additives, physical, chemical and biological hazards have also emerged resulting in huge health risk of the consumer. FAO and WHO came up with certain quality standards, which are a decade old now. Indian farmers and as well as the stake holders are yet to be familiar with these measures and standards that can help them gain consumer trust and reputation in international market and also to avoid the non-tariff barriers set by WTO. Major challenge with Indian context at present is creating awareness about GAP among the farmers, stakeholders and also retailers. The compliance with food safety practices applicable at the farm level is not very encouraging. In India, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has taken initiatives to develop its own standards to be followed by institutions and companies, etc. The draft Indian Standard Good Agricultural Practices – India GAP (Part 1- Crop Base) takes into account not only the quality and quantity of the crop obtained from a unit area but also the care and attention gone into integrating pre-harvest practices like soil& water management, Journal of Global Biosciences Vol. 5(9), 2016 pp. 4568-4578 ISSN 2320-1355

nutrient management and pest management, harvesting, post-harvest handling and other logistics (Anon, 2008). The objective is to ensure food safety, occupational health/safety/welfare, and wherever possible, animal welfare. The entire operation is intended to make farming practices environment friendly. For the purpose of verification, a graded pattern shall be followed for grant of India GAP licence:

Survey on Good Agricultural Practices Carried out at Armoor Mandal of Nizamabad District Armoor or Armur is a town and a Mandal in Nizamabad district in the (state of Telangana). Armoor is situated on NH-7 (-) and NH-16 Nizamabad- Jagdalpur). It is also known as Navanathapuram and it is one of the major town in Nizamabad district. Armur is Mandal HQ in Nizamabad Dist. Popular place like Srirama Sagar Project is located at 30 kilo meters away from Armoor and the model village of India Ankapur is 5 kilo meters away from Armoor town. Armoor Mandal is known for its progressive agricultural mainly horticultural practices. Ankapur village is considered as one of the model villages in the country due to an overall development in general and agricultural development in particular. It is recognized as a MODEL VILLAGE by the ICAR, ICRISAT and the International Rice Research Institute. Similarly, villages like Issapalle, Govindpet are also famous for the agricultural practices. Hence, a survey was conducted with the help of students of B.Sc. (BZC & MBC) in the Month of January and February 2015 to assess the awareness level on the GAP in the Armoor Mandal. The Questionnaire of the survey was based on the India GAP (Part 1- Crop Base) of Bureau of Indian Standards (BSI).

KOMMAN Govindpe

Armoor Manthani PIPRI PALLY Issapally t Site F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F I Selection 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 Is site free from toxic elements 1 such as industrial wastes and 1 effluents? 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Water availability : Is site having 2 access to reliable source of irrigation B water? 1 0 0 0 0 W 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 Soil Conditions II /Managem ent 3 Has the soil 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0

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map been 0 0 prepared for the farm? Is the soil optimal to the selected crop with 4 reference to its water holding capacity and fertility? 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 Soil Properties – Are the physical, chemical 5 properties and nutrient availability known? 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Has the quality of irrigation water been adequately understood 6 and classified of both soil type and the target crop. 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 Are the total salt concentrati on, sodium absorption ratio, 7 bicarbonat e and boron concentrati on etc. known? 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

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Whether irrigation water is required to conform to 8 standards of heavy metals and residual pesticides? 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Seeds and Propagati III on Materials Do seed/planti ng material accompani 9 ed with the following informatio n:- a) Name, nomenclat ure and trade name) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 b) Botanical name 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 c) Variety? 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Are the seeds chosen for cultivation purposes physically 11 free from pest, diseases, weeds and foreign and inter matter? 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Sowing IV and Transplan

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ting Are recommen ded rate of seedlings 12 per unit of land area adhered to? 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 Is placement of seeds taking place at the 13 appropriat e depth in the moist zone of the soil/ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Are seedlings where used transplante d following the spacing 14 norms in terms of row-to row and plant- to plant distance? 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Are seedlings transplante 15 d in a correct row? 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Manures V and Fertilizers From where manures 16 and fertilizers L are L L L O L L L O O O O O O O C L O L C L O L O L L L L sourced? C C C P C C C P P P P P P P F C P C C P C P C C C C

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Parameters used to accept or qualify the 17 manure in case source is from outside? 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 If organic manures are used and whether nutritional 18 requireme nts of the targeted crops is known or not? 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Are manures 19 tested for nutrient present? 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Whether manures are tested 20 for presence of Heavy metals? 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Are manures 21 stored in a clean and safe place? 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Are manures, pesticides, 22 insecticide s stored at one place? 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 According to targeted crop which 23 manure – vermi- V B V V B B B B V V V B B B V V B V V B V V V compost, C F C C F F F F C C C F F F C C F C C F C C C

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green leafy manure or bio- fertilizers is used? Are specialized nutritional care for distinct purposes such as root 24 production or enhanceme nt of leafy bio-mass etc. opted for targeted species? 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 VI Irrigation From where is 25 irrigation water B B B C B B B B B C C B B B B B B B B B B sourced? W W W A W W W W W A A R W W W W W W W W W W How is the total water requireme H 26 nt of the H H H H H H H H H H H H H R H H H H H H H H H H H H H crop R R R R R R R R R R R R R S R R R R R R R R R R R R R estimated? S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S How the irrigation cycles are 27 planned and implement ed? 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Is irrigated water is sourced 28 from Unpolluted sources? 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 How water D D D D C D D 29 harvesting P P P P A P P 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 T T

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and water conservati on methods are followed. Is water 30 analysis test done? 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Weeding and intercultu VII ral operation s How initial flush of weeds are controlled 31 effectively to ensure a weed free environme W W W W T T T T W W W W W W W W W W W W nt? C L C C C T T T T C C C C C C C C C C L C C L L Are Bio control methods 32 followed for weeding? 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 If chemical herbicides are used, then what safety 33 measures are taken for the target crop? 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1

Crop VIII Protection whether quality 34 pesticides used? 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

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If chemical pesticides are used, then whether label direction in terms of 35 dosage, crop, canopy, time of application, waiting period are followed? 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 whether integrated pest manageme nt protocols 36 are followed as recommen ded by Govt. Agencies? 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Is crop protection plans limited to 37 the use of bio-control agents and bio- pesticides? 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 When chemical pesticides are used, whether care is 38 taken to use smallest effective dosage of pesticides? 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0

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When chemical pesticides are used for crop protection, 39 is residue analysis of final product carried out? 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

O- No, 1- Yes, LC-Local, OP- Own Preparation, VC-Vermicompost, BF-Bio fertiliser, BW-Bore well, CA-Canal, R-River, HRS-Hours, WC-weedicides, L-Labour An analysis of the survey is given below: Soil Conditions/Management: Although the soil testing has become mandatory to know the soil health condition nearly about 62% of the farmers have not done the testing of their soil. Nearly about 90% farmer didn’t know the physical, chemical nature and also about nutrients present in the soil.

Seeds and Propagation Material:- The farmer only knew the name of the seed and propagation material in local language, but they didn’t know the botanical name and variety name. They were also not sure that the seed chosen for cultivation were physically free from pest, disease, weeds and foreign and inert matter. Sowing and Transplanting The farmers had a good knowledge of rate of seedling per unit land, placement of seeds at the appropriate depth in the soil, and were also following the spacing norms in term of row-to-row and plant to plant distance with slight variations.

Manures and Fertilizers Most of the farmers were sourcing the organic manures mainly vermicompost from local societies or local farmers and they had no knowledge about the quality of the manure sourced from the outside. They were also not sure about the presence of essential nutrients for the targeted crop vis-à-vis the soil characteristics in the manures sourced. No farmer ever had tested the manure to either know the nutritional value of the manure or for the presence of heavy metals in the manure. Most of the farmers kept the manures, pesticides and insecticides at one place. No farmer had an idea of specialized nutritional care for distinct purposes such as root production or enhancement of leafy bio-mass etc. opted for targeted species.

Irrigation Most farm land surveyed had an assured source of irrigation, either in form of bore wells or tanks or canals. Most farmers were using drip irrigation methods to prevent the loss of water. When asked about how they calculated the water requirement for the targeted crops, their estimate was only in terms of hours of water supplied per acre per crop. There was no plan for irrigation cycles to be implemented to ensure optimal plant

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Weeding and Intercultural Operations

For weeding purpose most of the farmers were using chemical insecticides during the initial period of crop as well as in the later stages. No farmer used bio-control methods to control the weeds.

Crop Protection Most of the farmers were using the chemical pesticides for the crop protection. Only about 10% if farmers are using the bio-pesticides or Bio-control methods for the eradication of the pests. No farmer knew the use of smallest effective dosage on the basis of crop protection protocol. No farmer had ever gone for residue analysis when chemical pesticides were used for crop protection.

REFERENCES: 1. The India GAP (Part 1- Crop Base) of Bureau of Indian Standards (BSI). 2. Voluntary Certification Scheme for India GAP: Process for Basic Requirement 3. Voluntary Certification Scheme for India GAP: Certification Processhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armoor 4. Divya K and Sivakumar S. D. (2014). Adoption of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) in chillies cultivation by farmers in Southern Districts of Tamil Nadu, Agric. Update, 9(2):178-180. e ISSN-0976-6847. 5. Nirmala G. (2015). Impact of GAP on small Farm Development: Knowledge and adaptation levels of Farm women in rain fed areas. Indian Research Journal of Extension Education 15(4):153-156. 6. Tann, H., Makhonpas, C., Uthajadee, A., Soytong, K. (2012). Effect of GAP and Organic methods on Rice Cultivation under system of Rice intensification in Cambodia, Journal of Agricultural Technology. 8(1): 289-303. 7. Laxminarayana K, Mishra, S., Soumya, S. (2016). GAP in Tropical Root and Tuber Crops: Production, Processing and Technology; Tropical Root and Tuber Crops: 183-224, DOI: 10.1002/978118992739. 8. Bhan Chander, Prasad Dasharath, Bhati D.S, Arya V.K. (Role of GAP in safe vegetable farming A Review, Journal of Progressive Agriculture 4(1): 144-147.

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