"Expect a country of extremes," said Aaron Rosland, a representative for the Government of Ontario at the High Commission in New Delhi, India on our first day of the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program (AALP) two week international tour, February 17 to March 2, 2013. The world's richest people are living near some of the world's poorest and largest slums. Horse, camel or oxen are pulling carts next to our Mercedes Benz bus. India is a country that speaks of history from before 2500 years ago, still evident in the art, architecture and lifestyle which abuts to the modern western influences such as McDonalds and other chains. Since India kicked out the British in 1947, it is the world's largest democracy and has made great strides to feed its massive population (which has tripled since independence).

India is the world's largest producer of milk and dairy products, many vegetables, major spices, poultry, and the second largest producer of wheat and rice. Average farms are approximately 1 or 2 dairy cows and less than an acre of crops, but their ability to produce food is expanding as they introduce new technology into their production practices. One of the best days of the tour was to some villages in Jawhar. Here, Syngenta Foundation was working with several non-government organizations to introduce new horticultural and floricultural crops in the winter months. This way, rural villagers did not have to migrate to the slums in the city for work after their rice production was finished. Not only did this practice improve their local diets and incomes, but new techniques were learned including trickle irrigation, mulch, and shade housing.

As roads, power, mobile technology and other infrastructure is introduced and improved, the food is better to reach more of the population. Despite these improvements and bumper crops, much in this area still needs to be enhanced or else many harvests are lost due to spoilage before reaching a market.

I would like to thank all of those who supported me in my participation in AALP and look forward to sharing more about India as I talk to you in the future.

Christina Mol at the Taj Mahal in Agra, India

A dairy "farm" in downtown Mumbai, India