Agricultural ethics examines morally relevant issues in agriculture such as justice, sustainability, and responsibility. It considers how society's complexity impacts agricultural problems and solutions. Key issues discussed include food insecurity and the obligation of wealthy people/nations to support poorer ones, exploitation of natural resources like water and forests, animal welfare, concentration of economic power in trade that disadvantages developing nations, effects on the environment from pesticides and GMOs, ensuring ethical markets and prices for farmers, protecting indigenous knowledge, and developing unbiased agricultural research and policies that benefit small farmers. An ethical agricultural system aims to reduce poverty through balanced production and distribution efficiency measured by fairness.

1. Agricultural Ethics
Alok 10755
Mahesh 10777
Kirti 10790
Jayanta 10803
Division of Agricultural Extension,
ICAR-IARI, New Delhi

2. Ethics in agriculture Vs Agricultural ethics
• The 1st
one follows traditional moral theory and
apply well reasoned norms to the field of
agriculture
• morally relevant issues justice, sustainability,
responsibility etc.
• 2nd
one focus on subject first to frame the debate
with object of investigation in agriculture
• society’s increasing complexity, problem’s specific
characteristics and its given normative
implications into consideration.

3. • Hunger results from neglect
of the universal right to
food.
• What moral obligations
have people who are well-
off to people of less well
off ?
The Value of Food
• Failure to do so is deemed injustice and unethical

4. Its not matter of food unavailability ….
Matter of will to distribute it equitably

5. Pressure on natural
resources
Exploitation of forests
• In the search for more farmland: deforestation
• Poorer nation overwhelmed with desperation; whereas
producers and consumer in wealthy nations are disincentives
for conservation practices.

6. Exploitation of water source
• for agricultural, industrial and domestic uses
• causes lowering groundwater levels, even
permanently depleting aquifers.
Effective means of catching fish
i.e : use of huge vessels with
canneries on board compete with
fishers using simple nets or lines.
Exploitation of marine resource

7. Animal husbandry ethics
• Will animal scientist genetically put
“happiness” gene in these animals ….so that
they remain happy in their lives as their
ancestors do.

8. Concentration of economic power
• Is fairness of conditions of international trade in
agriculture exists between richer & poorer ?
• Certain nation continues to ignore WTO rules to
their own advantage
• Less Developed countries became tools in the
hands of those powers economically & politically.
• Monopolising on natural resource
• Eg. Neem, Basumati rice….etc

9. Effect on environment
Pesticide banned in some countries still used in our countries
Cancer train in Punjab
Endosulfan in mother milk in Kerala

10. Genetic Engineering
• focus on agenda that is profitable
to private sector – eg : herbicide
tolerance and insect resistance
• new risks to the environment and
human health
• Super weed, food allergy,
• bioterrorism

11. Agricultural market
ethics
• Do farmers get a proper market to sale their
produce in a proper rate ?
• Do farmers get proper rate of return ?
• Is there any middle man exploit the most
benefit out of farming?
• Is farmer face hurdles in getting input ?
• Is there any exploitation by others?

12. Farmers Right….
• Is farmer’s indigenous knowledge safe?
Or prone to exploitation……
• So IPR issue….
• Doe our science value their traditional
knowledge which has scientific significance?
• Is there any policy to promote farmer’s
innovation?

13. Agricultural research & policy ethics
•Control over the research
agenda and role of self-
interested actors (i.e.
corporations) in
supporting Public sector
scientific research.
• Need of public confidence + trust of the actors

14. • Bipolar farm
structure
• Biasness in
choosing
beneficiaries
• 80 % small &
marginal farmers
addressable?
• Widening socio-
economic gap
• Gender biased
• Obesity Vs
Malnutrition
Rich become more rich , poor become more poorer
Where is the Gap…….?

15. Ethical food and agriculture
system
• Ethical-based food and agriculture system would
work towards the reduction and eventual elimination
of poverty
• Production efficiency must be balanced with
distribution efficiency.
• Effectiveness is measured in terms of fairness and
justice
• An ethical food and agriculture system must move
from free trade to an ethics-based trading system

16. Still there is “?”
• Why Agriculture is away from youth now in
India?
• Why so farm labour crisis?
• Why agriculture profession made down….?
• Why farmers portrayed …poor Bichaara ?
• Is there development of farmers by
outsiders only?
• What next ethics for future agriculture …….
• Development=sustainable

17. Thank u
Thank you