The horticulture sector is acknowledged for its potential to boost farm income, ensure livelihood security, and contribute to foreign exchange earnings. Horticultural crops such as fruits, vegetables, ornamental plants, spices, medicinal and aromatic plants, and plantation crops offer extensive opportunities for value addition, which provides extra employment for farming families. It serves as the backbone of Indian agriculture, contributing approximately 30% to the agricultural gross domestic product (GDP). Fruits and vegetables, which are highly nutritious horticultural products with significant health advantages for humans, are vulnerable to various insects, pests, and diseases, resulting in losses both in standing crops and post-harvest stages; they are also highly perishable and susceptible to spoilage during storage, causing a decline in quality attributes and inducing food loss. A considerable quantity of fruits and vegetables produced worldwide is wasted due to inadequate management of insects, pests, and diseases, poor handling, transportation, post-harvest operations, and insufficient processing. Such losses could be mitigated by implementing effective management strategies and enhancing post-harvest research, development, management, and processing of horticultural products. Establishing and adopting innovative approaches and policies to reduce global losses of fruits and vegetables, which are accessible to small-scale farmers in developing countries, could significantly curb these losses. Minimizing losses can contribute to achieving sustainability by balancing economic, social, and environmental aspects. A strong emphasis should be placed on developing advanced technologies to enhance global food security by enriching the world's agricultural economy while minimizing waste of consumable fruits and vegetables. Some recent initiatives, such as focusing on production of planting materials, cluster development programs, credit initiatives, and the formation and promotion of farmer producer organizations (FPOs), represent positive steps in this direction. Emerging technologies in recent years, including drone cameras, remote sensing, aerial Ultra-low volume (ULV) applicators, drone sprayers, and aerial unmanned vehicles, have been transforming how farmers manage crops and fields. Additionally, advanced technologies like nanotechnology, ecological engineering, and the push-pull strategy are cost-effective, intelligent, and sustainable. These are essential steps in creating safe, cost-effective, and sustainable pest management strategies for horticultural crops and contributing to future food security.
Horticulture, GDP, Insect & pests, Post-harvest technologies, FPOs
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