Sustainable Developmental Goal 17 and Agriculture from an Indian Perspective

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 17 emphasizes strengthening the means of implementing global partnerships through multisectoral and multinational approaches. SDG 17 aims to attain global partnership elements in financial capital, technology advancement, capacity building and skill development, trade and systemic issues at different constituencies (global, regional, national and local levels). The global partnership improves the sustainability of all types of development cooperation for the collective welfare of people, planet, prosperity and peace. Implementing and framing strong national and international policies, programs, schemes and action plans via collaboration of stakeholders, innovators, entrepreneurs and institutes is essential in promoting sustainability and achieving SDGs by 2030. The UN has defined 19 targets and 24 indicators for measuring progress toward SDG 17. The progress of all other 16 SDGs is dependent on and linked with goal 17th. Seventh goal will promote universal social, economic and environmental development through equitable trade, coordinating investment across borders, collaborative actions and improving and supporting coordination and collaboration among nation-states. To achieve 17th goal targets, it requires huge funding in infrastructure to empower different sectors like energy, agriculture, transportation systems and IT to ensure fair and equitable distribution of resources among the world’s community. The agriculture sector accounts for 4% of global GDP, and in developing countries like India, it provides employment to over 50% of the nation’s workforce and contributes 17–18% to the India’s GDP. The world states must take concrete actions for the agriculture sector to achieve Goal 17 of the SDGs by 2030. Strengthening and promoting five elements—capital, technology, skill-building, bilateral and multilateral trade policy and systemic issues such as storage facilities, climate change, stubble burning, irrigation facilities, etc.—is crucial to achieving global partnership. Today, progress has been made in several areas, but globally, action to achieve the sustainability in agriculture sector is not progressing at the required momentum or magnitude. This decade must bring concrete efforts in the agriculture sector to achieve global goal 17 by 2030. This work aims to understand the multiple risks associated with Indian agriculture and how global partnership in terms of finance, technology, trade, capacity building and skill can help handle the Indian agriculture risks and attain sustainability in the whole agriculture network.