Daily Quiz – 27th Feb 2024

Option 3 is correct: Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide. It is one method of reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere with the goal of reducing global climate change. No-till, as the name implies, is the practice of direct-seeding of crops in a field without ploughing. This stops the release of carbon stored in soil in the atmosphere. Hence helps in caron sequestration/storage in the soil.

Option 1 and 2 are incorrect: In Relay cropping second crop is planted even before the first crop is harvested. Thus, both crops share some part of the season. In India, Rice –cauliflower – onionsummer gourd is one example of relay cropping. Its advantages are: Less risk since yields do not depend on one crop alone, some diseases and insects appear to spread less rapidly under intercropping. Better erosion control due to better ground cover, any legumes involved may add

some nitrogen to the soil etc.

Similarly, contour bunding is a land management practice for marginal, sloping, and hilly land where the soil productivity is very low. It involves the placement of lines of stones along the natural rises of a landscape. This technique helps to capture and hold rainfall before it can become runoff.

Hence both relay farming and contour bunding have different applications/advantages but are not useful for carbon sequestration/storage in soil.

In May 2020, the government banned 27 hazardous pesticides, part of a larger list of 66 substances scrutinized for toxicity. A committee, led by TP Rajendran, recommended retaining the prohibition on three pesticides and releasing the others.

In continuation of the above episode, certain activists petitioning the Supreme Court argued that the constitution and existence of such a committee remain unverified in the public domain. Against this backdrop, just a few days before a crucial Supreme Court hearing, the Central government prohibited the use of four insecticides, including Monocrotophos, Dicofol, Dinocap, and Methomyl, from the original list of 27. Hence it is true that Dicofol, Dinocap, and Methomyl are a type of insecticides (or pesticides) utilized in Indian agricultural production.

A blockchain is “a distributed database that maintains a continuously growing list of ordered records, called blocks.” It is a distributed database existing on multiple computers at the same time, which constantly grows as new sets of recordings or blocks are added to it.

Statement 1 is correct: Blockchain can be used to track the journey of agricultural products from farm to fork, ensuring transparency and authenticity. This helps in tracing the origin of products, verifying their quality, and ensuring adherence to regulations and standards. This will help in improving the overall traceability of the agricultural supply chain system.

Statement 2 is correct: Blockchain can be used to establish decentralized marketplaces, which can connect farmers directly with consumers or buyers, eliminating intermediaries and reducing transaction costs. This can result in fairer prices for farmers and fresher products for consumers.

Statement 3 is correct: Blockchain technology can be used to develop tamper proof ledger-based data storage. In agriculture, it can be used for digitization of land records and their management.

States like Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have started using blockchain for this purpose. Such tamper proof land records aid in contract farming.

Statement 4 is correct: Blockchain can be used to protect intellectual property rights related to agricultural innovations, such as new crop varieties or farming techniques. Smart contracts can enforce licensing agreements and can help ensure fair compensation to intellectual property owners.

Statement 5 is correct: Blockchain enhances agricultural insurance and risk management by providing transparent and automated processes for policy issuance, claims processing, and risk assessment. Smart contracts can automate insurance agreements based on predefined triggers, ensuring timely payouts for insured events such as crop losses or weather disasters

Apart from agriculture, Blockchain technology has applications in various sectors including; Finance and banking, healthcare, real estate, identity verification, smart contracts, energy sector, etc.

Any fund established to absorb price volatility of some commodities in the market is termed Price Stabilization Fund.

Statement 1 is correct: The Price Stabilization Fund (PSF) was established in 2014-15, under Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Famers Welfare (DAC&FW), which works under Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. But later in 2016, it was transferred from DAC&FW to the Department of Consumer Affairs (DOCA), which is under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and currently works under this ministry.

Statement 2 is correct: The main purpose of establishing Price Stabilization fund was to regulate the price volatility of essential Agri-horticultural commodities like onions, potato and pulses. The scheme includes provisions for maintaining a strategic buffer of essential commodities and aims to discourage hoarding and unscrupulous speculation.

Statement 3 is incorrect: There is no provision to provide Interest free loans directly to the farmers under Price Stabilization Fund (PSF). However, PSF is utilized for providing advances of interest free loans to Central Agencies, State/UT Governments/Agencies to undertake market intervention operations.

PRICE STABILIZAITION FUND MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE: It is responsible for managing PSF at central level. It approves and reviews proposals from State Governments and Central agencies regarding procurement and distribution of commodities.

Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC): It acts as the fund manager for the PSF as a central corpus fund. It is a society promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture for linking agriculture to private enterprises, investment, and technology.

Safron is one of the most expensive spices in the world. It is made from the stigma of the flower Saffron crocus.

Female reproductive part of a flower, pistel, consists of ovary, style, and stigma. Stigma is the part that gets pollen from the pollinating agents.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer