Courtesy :Samajho

SPR 2021: SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGIES

What is Sustainable Agriculture?

• The concept of sustainable agriculture has gained prominence since the publication of the Brundtland Report in 1987.
• Sustainable Agriculture involves the processes that would enable to meet the current and long term societal needs for food, fibre and other resources while maximizing benefits through the conservation of natural resources and maintenance of ecosystem functions.

Principles of Sustainable Agriculture:

The three main principles of sustainable agriculture are:

• Environmental sustainability: through e.g. protecting, recycling, replacing and maintaining the natural resources base such as land (soil), water and wildlife
• Economic sustainability: through e.g. improving soil management and crop rotation which raise yields
• Social sustainability: through upholding social justice and cultural cohesion

Modern Agricultural Practices

• Modern agriculture includes animal husbandry, poultry farming, apiculture, fisheries and mushroom culture etc. to provide additional food supplements like milk, meat, fish, egg, mushroom etc.
• In addition, to provide nutritional food for the masses, they also reduce the load on the consumption of cereals and pulses.

Salient features of Indian Agriculture

Subsistence agriculture:

• The type of agriculture in India is mostly Subsistence agriculture. In Subsistence agriculture the agricultural produce is for self-consumption only, there is no surplus production to sell in the market.

Commercial agriculture:

• Large-scale commercial agriculture is also practised in India, such as tea plantations in Assam, coffee in Karnataka, coconut in Kerala, etc. Commercial Agriculture is the agricultural practice where large agricultural produce is sold in the market by the firms for making profits.
• Since the land resource in India is limited the pressure of increasing population on agriculture is increasing day by day.

Mechanization:

• After Green Revolution, there has been an increasing trend in the use of machines in farm operations. This has led to the mechanization of Indian agriculture. Punjab, Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh, River valleys of Andhra, and Tamil Nadu are major agriculturally mechanized areas in India.

Monsoon dependent:

• Due to lack of irrigation facilities Two-third of Indian agriculture is dependent on monsoon rains

Variety of crops:

• Due to the presence of different types of topography, diverse soil (like alluvial, red, black cotton soil, etc), and different types of climate, India is blessed with the production of different varieties of crops in different regions. For eg., hilly areas are suitable for tea cultivation, plains for rice cultivation

The predominance of food crops:

• In order to feed a large population and predominance of subsistence agriculture, food crops are mainly grown in order to keep with the food security demands of the huge Indian population.
• There are basically three cropping seasonal patterns in India namely Kharif, Rabi, and Zaid.

Policy ecosystem for sustainable agriculture in India:

• Since 2014-15, India has had a National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) to promote sustainable agriculture.
• It consists of several programmes focusing on agroforestry, rainfed areas, water and soil health management, climate impacts, and adaptation.
• Beyond NMSA, the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana promotes the adoption of precision farming techniques such as micro-irrigation, and the Integrated Watershed Management Programme supports rainwater harvesting.
• Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana is an elaborated component of Soil Health Management (SHM) of major project NMSA.
• Under PKVY Organic farming is promoted through the adoption of an organic village by cluster approach and Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) certification.
• With the help of PKVY, the government aims to support and promote:
  1. Reduction in dependence on fertilizers and agricultural chemicals
  2. Organic farming
  3. Improvement of soil health while increasing yields.
  4. Organic food, thus produced will be linked with modern marketing tools and local markets.

Various Agricultural Activities Silviculture: Cultivating forest trees Sericulture: rearing of silkworms for the production of raw silk Apiculture: maintenance of honey bee colonies, commonly in hives, by humans Olericulture: science of vegetable growing, non-woody (herbaceous) plants for food Viticulture: science, production and study of grapes Floriculture: flowering and ornamental plants for gardens Arboriculture: cultivation and study of individual trees, shrubs, and other woody plants Pomology: focuses on the cultivation, production, harvest, and storage of fruit, etc. Aeroponics: growing plants in a mist environment without the use of soil medium Hydroponics: growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil. Geoponic: refers to growing plants in normal soil Aquaponics: symbiotic environment of aquaculture and hydroponics

ZERO TILLAGE

• Tillage: Tillage is an agricultural land preparation through mechanical agitation which includes digging, stirring, and overturning.
• Zero tillage is the process where the crop seed will be sown through drillers without prior land preparation and disturbing the soil where previous crop stubbles are present.
• Zero tillage not only reduces the cost of cultivation it also reduces the soil erosion, crop duration, and irrigation requirement, and weed effect which is better than tillage.
• Zero tillage (ZT) is also called No-Tillage or Nil Tillage.

Zero tillage in India

• The No-Till approach was started in the 1960s by farmers in India. The zero-tillage system is being followed in the Indo-Gangetic plains where rice-wheat cropping is present.
• Wheat will be planted after rice harvest without any operation. Hundreds of farmers are following the same system and getting more yields and profits by reducing the cost of cultivation.
• In the South, the southern districts like Guntur and some parts of West Godavari of Andhra Pradesh state follow the ZT system in the rice-maize cropping system.
• The green revolution paved the way for the rice-wheat production system in the north-western parts of India. But in due course of time, the yields of rice and wheat become stagnant due to inappropriate soil and water management system and late planting of wheat, as in the hot season rice is being grown and in the winter wheat follows the rice.
• In the 1990s the zero tillage came to mitigate the problem, by planting the wheat by drilling without any land preparation and tillage.
• The success of zero tillage depends on the machinery to drill seed in the uncultivated land. In the late 1980s, CIMMYT introduced a prototype for drilling the seed.
• In India, the first localized seed drill was manufactured by GB Pant University with a motor to reduce the cost and make it available and affordable. The drills are tractor-drawn and used in the rice-wheat cropping system.
• Zero tillage proves better for direct-seeded rice, maize, soybean, cotton, pigeon pea, mungbean, cluster bean, pearl millet during Kharif season and wheat, barley, chickpea, mustard and lentil during rabi season.
• Wheat sowing after rice can be advanced by 10-12 days by adopting this technique compared to conventionally tilled wheat, and wheat yield reduction caused by late sowing can be avoided.
• ZT provides an opportunity to escape wheat crops from terminal heat stress.
• Zero tillage reduces the cost of cultivation by nearly Rs 2,500-3,000/ha through a reduction in the cost of land preparation and reduces diesel consumption by 50-60 litres per hectare.

Advantages:

1. No-till farming decreases the amount of soil erosion tillage causes in certain soils, especially in sandy and dry soils on sloping terrain.
2. No-till management results in fewer passes with equipment and the crop residue prevent evaporation of rainfall and increase water infiltration into the soil.
3. Reduction in the crop duration and thereby early cropping can be obtained to get higher yields.
4. Reduction in the cost of inputs for land preparation and therefore a saving of around 80%.
5. Residual moisture can be effectively utilized and the number of irrigations can be reduced.
6. Dry matter and organic matter get added to the soil.
7. Environmentally safe – The greenhouse effect will get reduced due to carbon sequestration.
8. No-tillage reduces the compaction of the soil and reduces the water loss by runoff and prevents soil erosion.
9. Zero tillage reduces the water requirement of crops and the loss of organic carbon by oxidation.
10. As the soil is intact and no disturbance is done, No-Till lands have more useful flora and fauna.
11. This practice has carbon-sequestration potential. Apart from reducing carbon emissions, the no-tilling practice can also reduce nitrous oxide emissions by 40 to 70%.

Disadvantages:

1. The initial cost of zero tillage equipment (the upfront costs can be high, but they should be recouped through higher crop yields and fuel and labour savings)
2. Gullies can form in the fields (low-pressure tires and changing traffic patterns across the field can help prevent these)
3. increased use of herbicides.
4. the learning curve for zero tillage farming.

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ZERO BUDGET NATURAL FARMING (ZBNF)

• Zero Budget Natural Farming, a type of farming that involves the elimination of chemical pesticides, sustaining agriculture with eco-friendly processes, and restoring soil fertility and organic matter.
• It is a unique chemical-free method that involves agroecology. For the zero-net expenditure of manufacturing, yields are known as the term zero budget.
• ZBNF reduces farming expenses and promotes the use of natural fertilizers, biological pesticides, and local seeds.

Advantages:

• As both a social and environmental program, it aims to ensure that farming – particularly smallholder farming – is economically viable by enhancing farm biodiversity and ecosystem services.
• It reduces farmers’ costs by eliminating external inputs and using in-situ resources to rejuvenate soils, whilst simultaneously increasing incomes, and restoring ecosystem health through diverse, multi-layered cropping systems.
• Cow dung from local cows has proven to be a miraculous cure to revive the fertility and nutrient value of soil. One gram of cow dung is believed to have anywhere between 300 to 500 crore beneficial micro-organisms.
• These micro-organisms decompose the dried biomass on the soil and convert it into ready-to-use nutrients for plants.
• Zero budget natural farming requires only 10% water and 10% electricity than what is required under chemical and organic farming. ZBNF may improve the potential of crops to adapt to and be produced for evolving climatic conditions.

Four wheels of ZBNF to be implemented practically:

• The “four wheels” of ZBNF are ‘Jiwamrita’, ‘Bijamrita’, ‘Mulching’ and ‘Waaphasa’, says Palekar, a Padma Shri awardee.
• Jiwamrita is a fermented mixture of cow dung and urine (of desi breeds), jaggery, pulses flour, water, and soil from the farm bund. This isn’t a fertilizer, but just a source of some 500 crore micro-organisms that can convert all the necessary “non-available” nutrients into “available” form.
• Bijamrita is a mix of desi cow dung and urine, water, bund soil, and lime that is used as a seed treatment solution prior to sowing.
• Mulching, or covering the plants with a layer of dried straw or fallen leaves, is meant to conserve soil moisture and keep the temperature around the roots at 25-32 degrees Celsius, which allows the microorganisms to do their job.
• Waaphasa, or providing water to maintain the required moisture-air balance, also achieves the same objective.

• PLANTATION AGRICULTURE

  

  • Plantation agriculture is a type of commercial farming in which a single crop is grown for the entire year.
  • The major crops grown during plantation agriculture are Tea, coffee, sugarcane, cashew, rubber, banana, or cotton.
  • Major plantations are found in the tropical regions of the world. Plantations exist on every continent possessing a tropical climate.
  • Rubber in Malaysia, coffee in Brazil, Tea in India, and Sri Lanka.
  • It is capital intensive and demands good managerial ability, technical know-how, sophisticated machinery, fertilizers, irrigation, and transport facilities. Plantation agriculture is export-oriented agriculture.
  • In India, This type of agriculture has developed in hilly areas of north-eastern India, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and in Nilgiri, Anamalai and Cardamom hills in peninsular India.

  Advantages:

  1. The entrepreneurs inject substantial capital which is paid off.
  2. As it is totally export-oriented, the net volume and value of national export in­creases, adding valuable foreign exchequer to the national exchequer.
  3. It absorbs thousands of labourers, reducing the growing unemployment prob­lem.
  4. Plantation farming is a complex mechanism; it involves the creation of not only in­dustrial plants but also the construction of civic amenities like roads, housing projects, schools, colleges, hospitals, administrative projects etc. Eventually, the urbanization rate is accelerated.

  Disadvantages:

  1. It produces only one product- tea, coffee etc.- which is sold in the external mar­ket. So, the local people suffer from food shortages that might have been culti­vated.
  2. An exodus of money in the form of profit goes to foreign lands which in no way improves the local economy.
  3. In most cases, cheap labourers are collected from outside and technical ex­pertise from faraway lands. This system fails to deliver any good to the local unemployment scenario and aggravates social tension. Sons of soil clash with outsiders.
  4. Planters, to expand their business, try to grab the land of farmers in several ways. This creates more and more landless, uprooted people.
  5. Due to dependence on the international market for the sale of the product, any price and demand fluctuation may have catastrophic results on farming. The local economy may badly suffer following the retrenchment of labour; unemployment may increase.
  6. Plantation farming is not good for ecology. Over-exploitation and absence of crop rotation deplete soil fertility and increases soil erosion.

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  CROP ROTATION

  

  About: 

  • This refers to the growing of the number of Crops one after the other in a fixed rotation to maintain the fertility of the soil.
  • The rotation of crops may be complete in a year in some of the areas while it may involve more than one year’s time in others.
  • Pulses or any leguminous crop is grown after the cereal crops.
  • Legumes have the ability to fix nitrogen in the soil.
  • Highly fertilizer intensive crops like sugarcane or tobacco are rotated with cereal crops.
  • The selection of crops for rotation depends upon the local soil conditions and the experience and the understanding of the farmers.

  Advantages:

  1. Crop-rotation increases soil fertility by controlling deficient or excess nutrients because it replenishes nutrients that are not available or absorb nutrients that are in abundance.
  2. Crop rotation increases the harvest obtained from a single seasonal harvest.
  3. It allows the land to regenerate and rejuvenate its self-nutrients without having to apply more nutrients through the use of fertilizers.
  4. It also helps reduce raindrop impact on the soil and general erosion by water because the roots of the plants hold the top layer of soil together. Trees planted together with crops in the farms also assists in preventing soil erosion.
  5. It prevents soil compaction, thus improving the physical condition of the soil. Crop rotation improves the soil structure as well as soil texture.
  6. The constant application of fertilizers to soils causes soil leaching (excessive buildup of nutrients in the soil to a toxic and harmful level) that does not allow plants to grow well. Crop rotation increases the nutrients in the soil and prevents leaching.
  7. Crop rotation helps in increasing the nutrient uptake of the plants from the soil as in crop rotation, different crops require different nutrients in different quantities.

  Disadvantages:

  1. Certain locations and their climates are more favourable for monoculture.
  2. Requires more knowledge skills, and machinery.
  3. It does not allow a farmer to specialize in a single type of crop.

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  DRYLAND FARMING

  

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  Important Terms Mulching  This involves covering the soil layer in between the crops with organic matter such as leaves, grass clippings, straw. It helps to maintain soil moisture. Mulching also adds nutrients to the soil by way of slow decomposition of the organic matter. Contour barriers To create barriers along contours, stones, grass, soil are being used. Trenches are made to collect water in front of the barriers. Rock dam Rocks are stacked up to slow down water flow and also help to stop gullies and further erosion of soil. Terrace farming On the steep slopes, wide flat steps or terraces are designed so that flat surfaces are used for cultivation, thus minimizing surface run-off and soil erosion. Intercropping Various crops can be grown in alternating rows and are planted at varying times to protect the soil from rain washing. Ploughing of contours Ploughing parallel to the contours of a hill slope creates a natural obstacle for fluid to drain down the slope. Shelterbelts In the coastal and dry areas, rows of trees are cultivated to track the passage of air and preserve the cover of the soil. Cover crops A cover crop is a specific plant that is grown mainly for the benefit of the soil rather than the crop yield. Cover crops are commonly used to suppress weeds, manage soil erosion, help build and improve soil fertility & quality, control diseases, and pests, and promote biodiversity. Cover crops are typically grasses or legumes but can be comprised of other green plants. A cover crop is grown in the off-season before the field is required for growing the cash crop. In essence, a cover crop readies the land for a received cash crop. Commonly used Grass cover crops: Rye, Winter wheat, Oats, Ryegrass, Pearl millet, and Barley. Commonly used legume cover crops: red clover, Field peas, Hairy vetch, White clover, berseem clover, sweet clover, and alfalfa. Commonly used Non-Legume Broadleaves cover crops: Buckwheat, and Oilseed radish.