Programs

About NAS

In recent years, the growth rates of world agricultural production and crop yields have slowed down which shows that the world may not be able to grow enough food and other commodities to ensure that future populations are adequately fed.
The reason for this slow down is not only because of shortages of land or water but rather because Agriculture is not taken professionally as a business and due to that more and more people are leaving agriculture and efficiency is decreasing as a whole.

Current Scenario

An Image problem (Non-Glamorous Sector).
Not seen as being ‘Cool’ or ‘Attractive’.
Back-breaking labor.
No economic pay-off.
Provides little room for career advancement.
Aging population of farmers.
Agricultural offers huge potential for job creation.

Current Scenario

Entrepreneurs Association of India

In Context of India

Agriculture contributes 14.7% of total exports of the country and provides employment to around 65% of the total work force.
On average, about 2,035 farmers are losing ‘Main Cultivator’ status every single day for the last 20 years.
As per Census 2011, 95.8 million cultivators have farming as their main occupation (ie. less than 8% of the population).
This shows down from 103 million in 2001 and 110 million in 1991. Including all marginal cultivators (22.8 million) and that is still less than 10% of the population.
In last few years, India has become A Farm Importer then a Farm Exporter.
More Aged people left in Rural India-on field, the newer Generation left the field.

In Context of World

Globally, a $940 billion economy gets hit (ie. a third of food produced is lost or wasted every year) due to inefficiencies in planting, harvesting, water use and trucking, as well as uncertainty about weather, pests, consumer demand and other intangibles.
Venture capitals have flooded the Agri tech space, with investment increasing 80% annually since 2012, as investors realize big data can revolutionize the food chain from farm to table.
As per a survey, globally 74.2 million unemployed young people will be there this year, an increase of 3.8 million since 2007.
Fewer small-scale farmers tomorrow, potentially drastically changing the profile of farming.

Objective

NAS is a faith-driven Continuous dialog on agriculture that is designed to create connections and relationships locally and globally that lead to coordinated, market-based, community-building actions.
The VISION is flourishing farms, systems and communities, now and in the future , bringing restoration and reconciliation in a world of hunger and poverty.
Join hundreds of local, regional and global producers, service-providers, students, faculty, pastors and business people who are living, working and serving in agricultural communities.