and conservation agriculture (CA) in intensive production systems. .... and currently nearly 925 farmers are rendering custom services on laser technology in the.
InnovationsthroughConservation Agriculture:Progressand Prospectsof ParticipatoryApproach in the Indo-GangeticPlains M.L. Jat1, Ravi G. Singh2,Y.S. Saharawat3'a,M.K. Gathala4,V. Kumara,H.S. Sidhus, and Raj Gupta2 lDirectorate of Maize Research, lndian Council of Agricultural Research, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110 012, lndia 2lnternational Maize and Wheat lmprovement Centre (CIMMYT), lndia Office, NASC Complex,Pusa, New Delhi, 110 012, lndia slnternationalCentre for Soil Fertility and Agricultural Development(IFDC), Muscle Shoals,Alabama, USA 4lnternationalRice Research lnstitute (lRRl) lndia Office, Pusa New Delhi, 110 012, lndia sPunjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, lndia Thescientific innovations andtechnological havebeenthebasisforpromoting agricultural development. Thehistorical focusofresearch onimproved agricultural technologies hasundeniably beensuccessful. But,thesestrategies havehadlimited impacts ontheintended beneficiaries, asthecomplexity oftheirlivelihood andfarming systems hasnotbeentakenintoconsideration. Theconservation agriculture (CA)initsinitialversion ofzero-tillage inSouthAsiaduring 1970'sand 80'sisagood exampleof itwherein duringtechnologydevelopment, littleor noattention waspaidto thefarmers'knowledge fortheirlocalsettings andinnovations. However, linking dynamic knowledge systemsof thefarmerswith "Participatory scientificbasisof technologythrough Innovation Development'onCAin itsversion ofResource played (RCTs) ConseruingTechnologies agreatroleinpromotingthe RCTs(3.0million adoptionof hectares) forresourceconservation, poverty production inirrigated alleviation andsustainable development intensive systems oftheIndo-Gangetic PlainsofSouthAsia. The Indo-Gangetic Plains(lGP)of SouthAsia encompassing mostof northernand easternIndia,the mostpopulous partsof Pakistan,teraiof Nepaland virtuallyall of Bangladeshis a fertileand most productiveregionthat supports 1ptn1900million)populationof the world.In the lGP,rice and wheatare the majorcropsgrownin rotationon 13.5 m ha area. In addition,the other majorcrops grown in systemare maize,sugarcane,and cotton.The rice-wheat (RW)productionsystemhas playeda vitalrole in foodsecurityand remainedthe cornerstone for food security,rural development and naturalresourceconseruation in the region(Parodaet al, 1994;llmsinaand Connor,2001;Gupta et al, 2003; Ladhaet al, 2003).But, now evidencesof secondgenerationproblemssuch as decliningfactor productivity, plateauing cropproductivity, decliningsoilorganicmatter(SOM)recedinggroundwatertable,diminishing pollutionetc. startedappearingmainlyattributedto monocultureof intensive farm profitability, environmental productionsystems(Sharmaand De Datta,1985;Hobbsand Gupta,2000;Sharmaet al, 2003;Gupta conventional and Sayre,2OO7). At present,the challengeis to producemorequalityfoodfromthe samelandand waterresources, quality.Thus,the majorchallengefor the researchersis to developan besidessustainingsoil and environmental alternativesystemthat producemoreat less cost and improvefarm profitability (Guptaand Seth, and sustainability 2OO7).This suggeststhat agriculturesystemsneeds a mixtureof new technologiesthat are able to knock new growthand are moresustainable. sourcesof productivity This necessitates moreattentionon issuesof sustainability and conservation agriculture(CA) in intensiveproductionsystems.The CA in its initialversionof zerotillagebefore 1990'scould not make much impactat farm level despiteof the provenadvantagesof highercrop productivity, resourceconseruation and improvingfarm profitability becauseof higherinvestmentcostsof the importedZT drills and designproblemsassociatedto suit the location-specific adjustmentsof the localZT drills.The researchefforts made since mid 1990'son developing,refiningand acceleratingthe adoptionof CA technologiesin the IGP has broughta'"TillageRevolutiorl'in which lhe 'FarmersPafticipatoryResearchApproach'playedsignificantrole. In this paper,progressand prospectsof technologies involvingone or moreof the key elementsof CA in the predominant croppingsystems (rice-wheat,maize-wheat,rice-maizeand sugarcanebased systems)developed,evaluatedand accelerated in variousagro-ecologies of the IGPusinginnovativemodifications in the plantersand/orotherproduction techniquesthroughfarmer'sparticipatoryresearchapproachare being discussed. Development, Evaluation and Acceleration of Innovative CA Techniques Researchon CA in inigatedproductionsystemsof SouthAsia in its versionof zerotillagecan be tracedback in 1970'swhereineffortsweremadeto developthe zerotillagetechnologyat PunjabAgricultural University, Ludhiana, India.However,the technologydid not reach at farm level due to the obviousreasonsof lack of innovationsfor 60
4th worfd congress on conservationAgriculture- FebruarY4-7, 2OO9 suitability.In early 1980s,the CIMMYTmade effortson zero-tilltechnologyin the region location/situation-specific with the importof Aitchesonzero till drillsfrom New Zealandto Pakistan.After Pakistan,four drillswere shipped of the importedZT drillsand from New Zealandto Indiaby CIMMyT during1988,however,due to expensiveness ZT drills,the technologycould not du-eto designproblemsin the locallymanufactured poor crop establishments "lnverted T' openersof AitchesonZT drills startedwith use of ine innovations madeimpactat farm level.Thereafter, tor Zf technology'a suggestions innovative ZT drillsin 19g2.Thereafter,with the farmers' in focallymanufactured level.Laterthe at farm acceptable and user-friendly seriesof improvementswere made to make the technology Pakistan' India, of NARS involving of CGIAR initiative eco-regional an of Rice-WheatConsortium, commissioning manufacturers participating countries, of NARS of collaboration in close initiatives 1994, took in anOl,,tepat Bangladesh (PlD)" and local artisansfor developmentand refinementof RCTs using "ParticipatoryInnovationDevelopment through larming approach.This plD approachmade significantimpacton resourceconservationand sustainable refinementand adoptionof Cn in its versionof RCTs(3.2 millionhectares)in the irrigatedintensive development, productionsystemsof IGP of SouthAsia (Table1)' plainsof southAsia of RGTsin Indo-Gangetic Table1.Adoption Country/Region lndia Pakistan Bangladesh Nepal IGP
133.6 79.9 10.4 0.4 224,2
375.8 192.1 10.4 0.6 579.0
870.2 338.9 10.6 2.7 1222.O
1870.5 438.0 388.8 't2.4 2709.0
2388.7 421.2 419.9 14.3 3244.0
Source:Guptaand SaYre(2007)
Farmer ParticiPatory Field Trials on-farmand on-stationtrialsacrossthe IGP showedthat noResultsof large numberof farmer'sparticipatory till wheat in rotationwith productivityas of conventional system till wheatin the RW systemhas shownsimilar har) in westernthrough 100 (US to profitability so farm $ more use and water with less puddledtransplanted ricebut tillageduringrice quality intensive to due soil on much advantage was no there (ilwc, However, 2006). easternlcp (Happy seeder,lu_rbo planters seasonand no retentionof residues.Further,the innovationsof secondgeneration to 6 to 20 % led that systems no-till seeder,rotarydisc drill etc) enabledto retainrationalamountof residuesin (US to 19Otra-'), 95 profitability farm $ higher 50-1Oomm savingof irrigationwater, increasein systemproductivity, (GWP) oC potential global warming (Figure reduced 1), wneat in up to 2 terminaltemperature enabledregutating system RW the in health profitability and soil saving, to water in respect and improvLdsoil quality.The benefits of doubleno-tilltechnologywhereinricewas directlysownusinginnovativeprecise furtherimprovedwithdevblopment wheat) rice-No-till (cuppingiype, inclinedplate)seed meteringsystems.Doublenotill practice(no-tilldirect-seeded to compared profitability RW system of nauingiationalsoil coverwith residuesled to higner(US $ 200 to 240 haa) permanent beds (MW) rotation, puddl-e transplantedrice-no{illwheatacrossthe IGP (Table2). In maize-wheat precisionseed meteringsystemsresulted doubleno-tillusingdiscopenersand inclinedplatemulti-crop anO iee; ol MW system(average practice. The profitability productivity the conventional than in highersysrems,grainand water (US$543 ha-1)and had till pB conventional than higher but was similar hai) (US$ 863-865 of 3-yrs)unOer and no-tiil doubleno-tillresulted lGP, in the eastern (RM) rotation In rice-maize (Jat 2008a). al et health pos1peeffecton soil improvedthe RM PB system The tillage. to conventional productivity compared RM system in increase 17"/" in overconventional retained by 5% whenresidueswerenotretainedandto 18%whenresidueswere systemproductivity increasedthe also generation.planters tiit praciice(Figurez). Simitarto cerealproductionsystems,innovativenew conventional to compared ha-1 to 300 250 sugarcaneproductivityby 21-58"/"(TableB) and faim incomeby US$ or other wheat and planting Iurrows in cane advancing through ptaitingtechniquesin sugarcanebasedsystem crops planting winter of jrops planters enabled production the disc system, In this on iop of the iaised beds. winter the Also profitability 15-20"/"' by farm the increase that could trash cane thick having ratoon cane as intercropswith impact significant of innovativebullockdriwn and modularpowertilleroperatedZT plantershavemade development is very difficult' on smalland marginalfarmers,and Hillagriculturewhere mechanization RCTswas introducedfor the firsttime in precursor for technology The laserassistedprecisionland leveling,a pradesn demonstratedand acceleratedin larger has been that 2001 during lndia at farm level in westernUttar seeded(DSR)and puddletransplanted direct out on were carried participatory lield trials Farmer domainin the region.
M.L.Jat et al. - Innovations throughConservation Agriculture
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