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Conference Report

Cent re for Advancem en t ofSustainable Agriculture

C

A

S

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Conservation Agriculture:Conserving Resources

Enha nc ing Product ivity

22 -23 Septemb er, 200 4


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Conservation Agriculture:Conserving Resources

Enhancing Productivity

September 22-23, 2004

Edited by

Sunita Sangar, I.P. Abrol and R.K. Gupta

Centre for Advancement of Sustainable AgricultureNational Agriculture Science Centre (NASC) Complex

DPS Marg, Pusa Campus, New Delhi 110 012

Tel. : +91-11-25848188, 39594145Website: www.agricasa.org

NELDA REPORT


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Published by Centre for Advancement of Sustainable Agriculture, National Agriculture Science Centre (NASC)

Complex DPS Marg, Pusa Campus, New Delhi 110 012 and Printed at Malhotra Publishing House, B-6, DSIDC

Complex, Kirti Nagar, New Delhi 110 015. Phones: 25157006, 51420246, Telefax: 25927597; E-mail: [email protected]

Acknowledgement

The Centre gratefully acknowledges the financial support from

Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Department of

Agriculture and Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture, for

organising the conference.

CASA 2005


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Contents

Introduction 1

Conservation agriculture The new paradigm 1

l Benefits to farmers 2

l Benefits to natural resources 2

National conference on conservation agriculture 3

l Participation 4

l Conference objectives 4

l Organization 5

l Conference programme 5

Summary 5

l Conservation agriculture Global scenario 5

l Conservation agriculture Indian scenario 7

l Conservation Agriculture in rainfed semi-arid and arid regions 7

l Conservation Agriculture in irrigated ecosystems 7

l Impact of conservation agriculture practices 11

l Constraints in adopting conservation agriculture systems 12

l Conservation agriculture Implications for technology generation,

evaluation and upgradation 12

l Recommendations for conservation agriculture research & development 14

Annexure I : Programme 17


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INTRODUCTION

Indian agriculture is entering a new phase. The major research and development efforts in

the Green revolution era focussed on enhancing productivity of selected food grains and

few other crops. The new challanges demand that efficient resource use and conservation

receive high priority to ensure earlier gains can be sustained and further enhanced to meet

the emerging needs. Issues of conservation have assumed importance in view of widespread

resource degradation problems and the need to reduce production costs, increase profitabilityand make agriculture more competitive.

Over the past three decades or so, internationally, rapid strides have been made to evolve

and spread resource conservation technologies like zero and reduced tillage systems, better

management of crop residues and planting systems, which enhance conservation of water

and nutrients. Conservation agriculture (CA) which has its roots in universal principles of

providing permanent soil cover (through crop residues, cover crops, agroforestry), minimum

soil disturbance and crop rotations is now considered the principal road to sustainable

agriculture: a way to achieve goals of higher productivity while protecting natural resources

and environment. Conservation agriculture is currently practised on more than 80 million

ha worldwide in more than 50 countries and the area is expanding rapidly.

The conventional mode of agriculture through intensive agricultural practices was successful

in achieving goals of production, but simultaneously led to degradation of natural resources.

The growing concerns for sustainable agriculture have been seen as a positive response to

limits of both low-input, traditional agriculture and intensive modern agriculture relying on

high levels of inputs for crop production. Sustainable agriculture relies on practices that help

to maintain ecological equilibrium and encourage natural regenerative processes, such as

nitrogen fixation, nutrient cycling, soil regeneration, and protection of natural enemies of

pest and diseases as well as the targeted use of inputs. Agricultural systems relying on such

approaches are not only able to support high productivity, but also preserve biodiversity

and safeguard the environment. Conservation agriculture has come up as a new paradigm

to achieve goal of sustained agricultural production. It is a major step toward transition to

sustainable agriculture.

CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE THE NEW PARADIGM

Over the past 2-3 decades globally, conservation agriculture has emerged as a way for

transition to the sustainability of intensive production systems. The term 'Conservation

Agriculture' (CA) refers to the system of raising crops without tilling the soil while retaining

crop residues on the soil surface. Land preparation through precision land levelling and bed

and furrow configuration for planting crops further enables improved resource management.

Conservation Agriculture : Conserving Resources Enhancing Productivity


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Conservation Agriculture: Conserving Resources Enhancing Productivity

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The key features which characterize CA include:

a) minimum soil disturbance by adopting no-tillage and minimum traffic for agricultural

operations, b) leave and manage the crop residues on the soil surface, and

c) adopt spatial and temporal crop sequencing/crop rotation to derive maximum benefits

from inputs and minimize adverse environmental impacts.

Conservation agriculture permits management of soils for agricultural production without

excessively disturbing the soil, while protecting it from the processes that contribute to

degradation e.g. erosion, compaction, aggregate breakdown, loss in organic matter, leaching

of nutrients etc. Conservation agriculture is a way to achieve goals of enhanced productivity

and profitability while protecting natural resources and environment, an example of a win-

win situation. In the conventional systems, while soil tillage is a necessary requirement to

produce a crop, tillage does not form a part of this strategy in CA. In the conventional

system involving intensive tillage, there is a gradual decline in soil organic matter through

accelerated oxidation and burning of crop residues causing pollution, green house gases

emission and loss of valuable plant nutrients. When the crop residues are retained on soil

surface in combination with no tillage, it initiates processes that lead to improved soil

quality and overall resource enhancement.

Benefits of CA have been demonstrated through its large-scale adoption in many socio-

economic and agro-ecological situations in different countries the worldover.

Benefits to Farmers

These include:

l Reduced cultivation cost through savings in labour, time and farm power.

l Improved and stable yields with reduced use of inputs (fertilizers, pesticides).

l In case of mechanised farmers, longer life and minimum repair of tractors and less

water, power and much lower fuel consumption.

l Benefits of CA come about over a period of time and in some cases, might appear lessprofitable in the initial years.

Benefits to Natural Resources

These include:

l Reduced soil degradation through reduced impact of rainfall causing structural

breakdown, reduced erosion and runoff.

l Gradual decomposition of surface residues leading to increased organic matter and

biological activity resulting in improved capacity of soils to retain and regulate waterand nutrient availability and supply.


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l Improved biological activity and diversity in the soil including natural predators and

competitors.

l

Reduced pollution of surface and ground water from chemicals and pesticides, resultingfrom improved inputs use efficiency.

l Savings in non-renewable energy use and increased carbon sequestration.

Conservation agriculture aims at reversing the process of degradation inherent to the

conventional agricultural practices like intensive cultivation, and burning and/or removal

of crop residues. Aggressive seed bed preparation with heavy machinery lead to declining

soil fertility, biodiversity and erosion. Conservation agriculture leads to sustainable

improvements in the efficient use of water and nutrients by improving nutrient balances,

and availability, infiltration and retention by soils reducing water losses due to evaporation

and improving the quality and availability of ground and surface water.

Attempts to promote CA globally are underway as reflected from developments worldwide.

In this context, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of UN took an initiative to

organize the First World Congress on Conservation Agriculture in Europe (Madrid, Spain)

in 2001. The objective was to bring together farmers, scientists, private sector stakeholders

and decision makers to share information and experiences and to encourage interaction for

future research and development efforts. The Second Congress was held in South America

(Brazil) in 2003 and third is scheduled to be held in Africa (Kenya) in 2005. In South Asia,

initiatives to promote CA related activities are relatively recent. The aim of the National

Conference on Conservation Agriculture was to take a stock of current status in the region

and think of ways to move forward.

NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE

Conservation agriculture has the potential to emerge as an effective strategy to address the

increasing concerns of serious and widespread degradation of natural resources and

environmental pollution, which accompanied the adoption and promotion of green revolution

technologies since early seventies. The key challenge today is to adopt strategies that will

address the twin concerns of maintaining and enhancing the integrity of natural resources

and improved productivity, while improvement of natural resources taking a lead as it

forms the very basis for long-term sustained productivity. Problems of resource degradationare widespread both in the irrigated and rainfed ecologies. While maintaining and further

enhancing productivity in the well endowed areas without adversely impacting resource

base and environment is the key issue, reversing resource degradation process and enhancing

soil quality appears a pre-requisite for achieving significant productivity gains in majority

of rainfed areas.

Resource degradation problems are manifesting in several ways. Declining water tables in

many agriculturally important regions imply increasing pumping costs, replacement of

shallow gravity tubewells with submersible pumps at huge cost, adverse effects on water

quality and overall ecology of the region. Declining soil carbon and fertility are reflecting in

declining soil bio-diversity, multiple nutrient deficiencies, need for increasing inputs use tomaintain yields and implications for quality of produce and environment. Inefficient input


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use and management practices are leading to widespread contamination of surface and

groundwater with connected health hazards. Rainfall runoff and erosion of surface soil

remains a major factor for continued low productivity, more so in rainfed areas. That there

is a strong connection between resource degradation, poverty and livelihood opportunitiesis now being understood and appreciated. The need for developing and promoting

technologies which can reverse the processes leading to resource degradation is urgent.

Conservation agriculture has emerged a major way forward from existing unsustainable

mode of agriculture.

This Conference was organized with a view to take stock of current status in respect of CA

technologies and to seek a way forward. The Conference offered a platform for scientists

from various disciplines, farmers, policy makers and other stakeholders to discuss concerns,

experiences and problems with the aim to arrive at a shared perception of research and

development agenda for CA.

Participation

Nearly 150 participants from state agricultural universities, international agricultural research

centres, state development departments, private manufacturers and farmers attended the

two-day conference. Scientists came from various disciplines to ensure emergence of a shared

agenda for action. Participants of an ongoing travelling seminar organized by Rice-Wheat

Consortium in the region including participants from Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan

joined the Conference and shared field experience and highlighted problems facing the

farmers. The objectives were defined keeping the above focussed view of the Conference.

Conference Objectives

The Conference was organized with the following objectives in view:

l Assess the progress of adoption of CA practices in different agro-ecoregions.

l Identify the technological, socio-economic, policy and institutional constraints in scaling

up.

l

Define agenda for research and development.

l Identify institutional mechanisms for promoting and strengthening partnerships

amongst range of stakeholders.

An underlying aim was to understand and learn how the processes and institutional

arrangements within the existing system require to be influenced to meet the aims of

sustainable agriculture through CA. The Conference was intended to learn from past

experiences and look at R&D agenda to facilitate CA as a way to move towards sustainable

agricultural systems. The conference offered a common platform to the scientists, farmers,

policy makers and other stakeholders to discuss various concerns, experiences, problems

and opportunities offered by CA.


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Organization

The Conference was organized jointly by the Centre for Advancement of SustainableAgriculture, CASA and Rice Wheat Consortium for Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP). The conference

was sponsored by Indian Council of Agricultural Research and cosponsored by Departmentof Agriculture and Co-operation of the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Academyof Agricultural Sciences.

Conference Programme

The Conference was scheduled for two days (Annexure 1). The opening session focussed onthe progress and potential of CA, basically setting a stage for the discussions to follow. J.S.Samra, DDG (NRM), ICAR welcomed the participants and provided a brief introduction tothe Conference and an overall picture of resource degradation problems followed by statementof conference objectives by I. P. Abrol (CASA). Larry Harrington and Olaf Erenstein

(CIMMYT) provided a global perspective (Brazil, Africa, USA, New Zealand, Australia,Argentina, Canada, South Asia, Central Asia, China, etc.) on adaptation of CA practices indifferent parts of the world. Raj Gupta (RWC) of India and Mushtaq Gill from Pakistanshared their experiences with resource conservation technologies in India and Pakistanrespectively.

V.L. Chopra, Member, Planning Commission viewed CA as a route to rural developmentand emphasized the existence of strong linkages between resource degradation, poverty andlivelihood opportunities. A change in mindset, according to him, was necessary to startdoing things differently from the way we have been used to in the past. Radha Singh,Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture viewed CA as critical in the emerging phase of agriculture

and that there was a need for policy and institutional changes to reach the farmers. MangalaRai, Director General, ICAR asserted that resource conservation issues were a high priorityon the national research agenda and held that developing and promoting CA practices willdemand a greatly enhanced knowledge base and a fundamental change in the way we planand execute research programmes. The second session was unique where the farmers andagricultural officers of the line departments of states of Haryana, Punjab, UP and Biharshared their experiences and highlighted technological and policy related issues for wideradoption. Issues related to technology needs and input management for transition to CAwere addressed in the third and fourth sessions respectively. Panel discussion on policy andinstitutional requirements flagged critical issues that required to be addressed if CA has to

become a way of farming. Last session came out with specific recommendations for CAresearch for development. These sessions represented an integrated view of focussed groupdiscussions to define priorities for R&D under the themes, IPM and weed management,machinery and crop management, soil cover and residue management, genetic enhancement,water and nutrient management, social science/policy research and networking, linkagesand information exchange in CA systems.

SUMMARY

Conservation Agriculture Global Scenario

According to current estimates globally, CA systems are being adopted in some 80 million

ha, largely in the rainfed areas and that the area under CA is increasing rapidly. USA has


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been the pioneer country in adopting CA systems and currently more than 18 million ha

land is under such system. The spread of CA in US has been the result of a combination of

public pressure to fight erosion, a strong tillage and conservation related research and

education backup and public incentives to adopt reduced tillage systems. Other countrieswhere CA practices have now been widely adopted for many years include Australia,

Argentina, Brazil and Canada. In many countries of Latin America CA systems are fast

catching up. Some states of Brazil have adopted an official policy to promote CA. In Costa

Rica a separate Department of Conservation Agriculture has been set up. A redeeming

features about CA systems in many of these countries is that these have come more as

farmers' or community led initiatives rather than a result of the usual research extension

system efforts. Farmers practising CA in many countries in South America are highly

organized into local, regional and national farmers' organizations, which are supported by

institutions from both south and north America. Spread of CA systems is relatively less in

Europe as compared to countries mentioned above. While extensive research over the pasttwo decades in Europe has demonstrated the potential benefits of CA yet the evolution of

practice its has been slower in EU countries vis-a-vis. other parts of the world possibly due

to inadequate institutional support. France and Spain are the two countries where CA was

being followed in about one million ha of area under annual crops. In Europe a European

Conservation Agriculture Federation, ECAF, a regional lobby group has been founded. This

body unites national associations in UK, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain.

Conservation agriculture is being adopted to varying degrees in countries of south-east Asia

viz. Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Central Asia is another area prospective of CA. In South Asia CA systems would need toreflect the unique elements of intensively cultivated irrigated cropping systems with

contrasting edaphic needs, rainfed systems with monsoonic climate features, etc. Concerted

efforts of Rice-Wheat Consortium for the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) a CG initiative and the

national research system of the countries of the region (Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan)

over the past decade or so are now leading to increasing adoption of CA technologies chiefly

for sowing wheat crop. According to recent assessments in more than one million ha area

wheat was planted using a no-till seed drill in the region.

Experiences from Pakistan (Punjab, Sindh and Baluchistan provinces) showed that with

zero-tillage technology farmers were able to save on land preparation costs by about Rs.2500 per ha and reduce diesel consumption by 50 to 60 litres per ha. Zero tillage allows

timely sowing of wheat, enables uniform drilling of seed, improves fertilizers use efficiency,

saves water and increases yield upto 20 percent. The number of zero tillage drills in Pakistan

increased from just 13 in 1998-99 to more than 5000 in 2003-2004. Farmers have also adopted

bed planting of wheat, cotton and rice. Wheat straw chopper has also been adapted to

overcome planting problems in wheat crop residue. Bed and furrow planting of cotton is

finding favour with the farmers due to savings in irrigation water and related benefits of

improved use-efficiency of applied fertilizers, reduced soil crusting, etc. There is widespread

use of laser land leveller which helps in curtailing irrigation, reduces labour requirement,

enhances cultivated area and improves overall productivity. In 2003-04 around 225 laserland levellers were being used.


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Conservation Agriculture Indian Scenario

In India, efforts to adapt and promote resource conservation technologies have been underway

for nearly a decade but it is only in the past 4 to 5 years that the technologies are finding

rapid acceptance by the farmers. Efforts to develop and spread conservation agriculturehave been made through the combined efforts of several State Agricultural Universities,

ICAR institutes and the CG promoted, Rice-Wheat Consortium for the Indo-Gangetic Plains.

Unlike, in the rest of the world, in India spread of technologies is taking place in the

irrigated regions in the Indo-Gangetic plains where rice-wheat cropping system dominates.

CA systems have not been tried or promoted in other major agro-ecoregions like rainfed

semi-arid tropics, the arid regions or the mountain agro-ecosystems.

Conservation Agriculture in Rainfed Semi-arid and Arid Regions

Rainfed semi-arid and arid regions are characterized by variable and unpredictable rainfall,structurally unstable soils and low overall productivity. Results of most research station

studies show that zero/ reduced tillage system without crop residues left on the soil surface

have no particular advantage because much of the rainfall is lost as runoff due to rapid

surface sealing nature of soils. It would therefore appear that no tillage alone in the absence

of soil cover is unlikely to become a favoured practice. However, overall productivity and

residue availability being low and demand of limited residues for livestock feed being high

also poses a major limitation for residue use as soil cover in the arid and semi-arid regions.

In the semi-arid regions there is wide variability in rainfall and its distribution and nature

of soils. It would appear that there is need to identify situations where availability of even

moderate amount of residues can be combined with reduced tillage to enhance soil qualityand efficient use of rainwater. There appears no doubt that managing zero-tillage system

requires a higher level of management vis-a-vis conventional crop production systems. Also

there exists sufficient knowledge to show that benefits of CA mainly consist of reversing the

process of degradation and that its advantage in terms of crop productivity may accrue only

gradually.

Conservation Agriculture in Irrigated Ecosystems

In India efforts to promote CA technologies have largely been focussed in the Indo-Gangetic

plains covering the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. Overthe decades of seventies and eighties rice followed by wheat has emerged the major cropping

system extending to over 10 million ha, although a number of other crops are grown in

spatial and temporal variations throughout the plains according to agro-climatic variations.

Concerns of stagnating productivity, increasing production costs, declining resource quality,

declining water table and increasing environmental problems are the major forcing factors

to look for alternative technologies particularly in the north-west region encompassing the

states of Punjab, Haryana and western UP. In the eastern region covering eastern UP, Bihar

and West Bengal developing and promoting strategies to overcome the constraints responsible

for continued low cropping system productivity have been the primary concern. It is in this

context that the efforts aimed at developing and promoting CA technologies over the past

decade or so must be viewed.


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The primary focus of developing and promoting CA practices has been development and

adoption of zero-till seed cum fertilizer drill for sowing wheat crop in the rice wheat system.

Other interventions being tested and promoted include raised bed planting system, laser

equipment aided land levelling, residue management alternatives, alternative to rice-wheatcropping system in relation to CA technologies, etc. The area planted with wheat adopting

zero-till drill has been rapidly increasing over the past five to six years. A study from

Kurukshetra district in Haryana showed that the number of zero-till cum fertilizer drills

increased from 5 in 1997 to 1425 in 2003 and the corresponding area sown with wheat

increased from 50 ha to 40,000 ha. The study also brought out that adoption of this technology

was not limited to farmers with a large holding but the small holding farmers were adopting

the technology through custom hiring (Rs 750 to 900 per ha for sowing wheat) while the

farmers with bigger holding are purchasing the seed drill. In a sample study amongst

farmers adopting zero-tillage it was observed that the area brought under zero-tillage vis-

a-vis total area under wheat crop varied with an overall average of 45 percent under zero-

till system.

Another study summarised results of more than six hundred demonstrations over an area

of 440 ha from 1998 to 2000. These and several other studies concluded that wheat yields

in zero-till fields were invariably higher by 3 to 5 percent compared to planting in

conventionally tilled fields. Increased yields were largely a result of timely planting of

wheat when zero-till was used. Reduced cultivation costs to the tune of Rs 1500 to 2250 per

ha resulting from reduced costs of diesel, labour and use of weedicides were other advantages

cited by most studies presented. Reduced incidence of weeds, particularly Phlaris Minor and

savings in water use were other benefits frequently cited by participants.

In addition to zero-till planting of wheat, raised bed planting and laser land levelling are

other technologies being increasingly adopted by farmers of the region. Farmers who have

used laser land leveller reported positive effects in improving crop establishment, uniformity

of crop maturity, increase in area available for cultivation (2 to 5 percent), improved efficiency

of water application and increased water productivity resulting in large savings in irrigation

water (upto 35 percent) and in improved use efficiency of applied nutrients. With increased

availability of laser land levelling equipment, precision land levelling could become an

important basal step for adopting CA systems.

Planting wheat and other crops on the raised beds is being increasingly adopted by farmers.

The advantage cited by farmers include savings on inputs like seeds and fertilizers, significantsavings in water and reduced use of plant protection chemicals while the labour requirements

increased somewhat. The overall crop yields and net return increased. Bed planting systems

also offered greater opportunity for crop diversification and were amenable to key elements

of CA, zero tillage and residues managed on surface. Some efforts are also underway to

adapt CA practices for rice crop in rice-wheat cropping system. The approach being tested

is to grow rice under aerobic condition on raised beds under non-puddled conditions.

Although some success has been reported, managing weeds is a major challenge. Edaphic

requirements of growing rice do not permit zero tillage or surface retention of crop residues.

The impact of CA practices on resource quality is gradual and significant only over a period

of time. When rice is grown after 'zero' till wheat these benefits are not likely to accrue. The

question therefore is: Is rice grown as apart of rice-wheat cropping system in the north-west


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an anti thesis of CA? Thus, if principles and practices of cultivating rice in the semi-arid

north west achieved mainly through intensive irrigation contradicts the technological and

institutional innovations that enable or form the basis for CA and sustainability, then alternate

cropping systems that meet these challenges have to be evolved. The issues which areimportant, therefore, include: What are the alternate cropping systems for adapting and

promoting CA; how do they balance productivity per unit water, vulnerability to leaching

losses of applied nutrients, etc. The choice of cropping systems can have a strong influence

on resource quality through processes such as nutrient depletion and/ or enrichment through

underground biomass/ crop residues, need for external inputs, impact on environment etc.

It would appear from the progress of CA related activities that while zero-till planting of

wheat is catching up rapidly the benefits are largely related to ability to achieve timely

planting. The concept of CA emerging globally stipulates least disturbance of soil (e.g.

through zero-tillage) together with maintaining soil cover (e.g. through crop residue) as

fundamental to resource improvement.

Impact of Conservation Agriculture Practices

The rapid adoption and spread of CA technologies particularly zero-tillage for wheat is

attributed to multiplicity of benefits. These include:

l Reduction in Cost of Production This is a key factor contributing to rapid adoption of

zero-till technology. Most studies show that the cost of wheat production is reduced

by Rs.1500 to 2000 per hectare. Cost reduction is attributed to savings on account of

diesel, labour and input costs, particularly weedicides.

l Reduced Incidence of Weeds Most studies tend to indicate reduced incidence of Phalaris

minor, a major weed in wheat, when zero-tillage is adopted resulting in reduced use

of weedicides.

l Saving in Water and Nutrients Limited experimental results and farmers experience

indicate that considerable saving in water (up to 20-30 %) and nutrients are achieved

with zero-till planting and particularly in laser levelled and bed planted crop.

l Increased Yields In properly managed zero-till planted wheat yields were invariably

higher by 4 to 6 percent compared to traditionally prepared fields for comparable

planting date.

l Environmental Benefits CA involving zero-till and surface managed crop residue

systems are an excellent opportunity to eliminate burning of crop residues which

contribute to large amount of green house gases like CO2, CO, NO

2, SO

2and large

amount of particulate matter. Burning of crop residues, also contributes to considerable

loss of plant nutrients, which could be recycled when properly managed. Large scale

burning of crop residues is also a serious health hazard

l Crop Diversification Opportunities Adopting CA system (includes planting on raised

beds) offers opportunities for crop diversification. Cropping sequences/rotations and

agroforestry systems when adopted in appropriate spatial and temporal patterns canfurther enhance natural ecological processes which contribute to system resilience and


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reduced vulnerability to yield reducing disease/pest problems. Limited studies indicate

that a variety of crops like mustard, chickpea, pigeonpea, sugarcane, etc., could be well

adapted to the new systems with advantage.

l Resource Impovement No tillage when combined with surface managed crop residues

sets in the processes whereby slow decomposition of residues results in soil structural

improvement and increased recycling and availability of plant nutrients. Surface residues

acting as mulch, moderate soil temperatures, reduce evaporation, improve biological

activity and provide more favourable environment for root growth, the benefits which

are traditionally sought from tillage operations.

Constraints in Adopting Conservation Agriculture Systems

Conservation agriculture poses a challenge both for the scientific community and the farmers

to overcome the past mindset and explore the opportunities that CA offers for naturalresources improvement. CA is now considered a route to sustainable agriculture. Spread of

CA, therefore, will call for a greatly strengthened research and linked development efforts.

l Although significant successful efforts have been made in developing and promoting

machinery for seeding wheat in no till system, successful adoption of CA systems will

call for greatly accelerated effort in developing, standardizing and promoting quality

machinery aimed at a range of crop and cropping sequences, permanent bed and

furrow planting systems, harvesting operations to manage crop residues, etc.

l Conservation agriculture systems represent a major departure from the past ways of

doing things. This implies that the whole range of practices including planting andharvesting, water and nutrient management, diseases and pest control etc. need to be

evolved, evaluated and matched in the context of new systems.

l Managing CA systems will be highly demanding in terms of knowledge base. This will

call for greatly enhanced capacity of scientists to address problems from a systems

perspective, be able to work in close partnerships with farmers and other stakeholders

and strengthened knowledge and information sharing mechanisms.

Conservation Agriculture Implications for Technology Generation, Evaluation

and Upgradation

Conservation agriculture as an upcoming paradigm for raising crops will require an

innovation system perspective to deal with diverse, flexible and context specific needs of

technologies and their management. Innovation system perspective involves the groups of

organizations and individuals involved in the generation, diffusion, adaptation, and use of

knowledge of socio-economic significance, and the institutional context that governs the

way these interactions and processes take place. Conservation agriculture R&D, thus will

call for several innovative features to address the challenge. Some of these are discussed as

follow.

Understanding the System Conservation agriculture systems are much more complex thanthe conventional systems. Managing these systems efficiently will be highly demanding in


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terms of understanding of basic processes and component interactions, which determine the

whole system performance. For example, surface maintained crop residues act as mulch and

therefore reduce soil water losses through evaporation and maintain a moderate soil

temperature regime. However, at the same time crop residues offer an easily decomposablesource of organic matter and could harbour undesirable pest populations or alter the system

ecology in some other way. No-tillage system will influence depth of penetration and

distribution of root system which, in turn, will influence water and nutrient uptake and

mineral cycling. Thus the need is to recognise CA as a system, understand system interactions

and develop management strategies, which take into account these interactions.

Building a Systems Perspective Building a systems perspective in research will be fundamental

in generating and promoting new technologies. A systems perspective is best built working

in partnership with farmers who are at the core of farming system, with scientists, farmers,

extension agents and other stakeholders working in partnership mode will therefore be

critical in developing and promoting new technologies. Understanding system interactions

and developing management strategies will call for teams of scientists across disciplines

working together. This will also call for new ways of managing and leveraging funding

mechanisms to permit working together of various stakeholders to facilitate information

exchange and learning.

Partnerships and Linkages/Networks In the conventional agricultural R&D, the system is to

set research priorities and allocate resources within a framework, and no attention is given

to build relationships and seek linkages with partners working in the complementary fields.

But for successful CA R&D, building relationships with partners, seeking linkages and

understanding the relationships and processes would widen the scope and improve therelevance of CA to development agendas. The process of networking, forming alliances and

partnerships, negotiating priorities and approaches would help in further supporting and

planning R&D for CA.

Technological Challenges While the basic principles which form the foundation of CA

practices, that is, no tillage and surface managed crop residues are well understood, adoption

of these practices under varying farming situations is the key challenge. These challenges

relate to development, standardisation and adoption of farm machinery for seeding with

minimum soil disturbance, developing crop harvesting and management systems with

residues maintained on soil surface and developing and continuously improving site-specificcrop, soil and pest management strategies that will optimise benefits from the new system.

The efficiency of CA systems can be further enhanced with appropriate spatial and temporal

crop-agroforestry sequencing to benefit from ecological processes which contribute to system

resilience and reduced vulnerability to productivity reducing factors.

Site Specificity Adaptive strategies for CA systems will be highly site specific yet learning

across the sites will be a powerful way in understanding why certain technologies or practices

are effective in a set of situation and not effective in another set. This learning process will

greatly accelerate building a knowledge base for sustainable resource management. The

comparative analysis would also help to suggest a number of general/diverse principles of

CA. Developing and promoting networking to share information amongst farmers, scientistsand other stakeholders would be critical in advancing spread and continued upgradation of


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CA systems. However, understanding the diversity and the context-specific nature of the

processes would help in learning and changing for better.

Conservation Agriculture Research Must have a Long-term Perspective CA practices e.g. no-tillage and surface maintained crop residues result in resource improvement only gradually

and benefits come about only with time. Indeed, in many situations benefits in terms of

yield enhancement may not come about in early years.. Evaluating the impact of CA practices

therefore must have a longer term perspectives.

Adoption and Impact Studies Most of adoption and impact studies still concentrate on

production based statistics. They rarely include their impact on natural resources, processes/

relationships that enable the success or failure of the study. These studies should be part of

the larger study and not a separate study that is done after the adoption is over or the end

of research process. The institutional learnings, that form part of the ongoing studies facilitate

learning by doing and thus are important to be a part of the innovation process beforetechnological innovations take place.

Adoption of CA systems over large areas is a way to improved ecological foundation, which

form a basis for sustainable agriculture. It is, therefore, important that evaluation of CA

takes into account the impact of the system on overall environmental performance or

improvement in the natural resources. Thus, research and development for CA will call for

several innovative features to address the challenges.

Recommendations for Conservation Agriculture Research & Development

Conservation agriculture offers an opportunity for arresting and reversing the downward

spiral of resource degradation, diminishing factor productivity and decreasing cultivation

costs making agriculture more resource use-efficient, competitive and sustainable. While

R&D effort over the past decade have contributed to increasing farmer acceptance of zero-

tillage for wheat in rice-wheat cropping system, this has raised a number of institutional,

technological and policy related questions related to technology generation, adaptation and

further improvement, which must be addressed if CA practices have to be adopted on a

sustained basis. The following recommendations and institutional arrangements represent

an integrated view of focussed group discussions to define R&D priorities for CA.

l Myopic 'food security' policy based on cereal production must now replace a well

articulated policy goal for livelihood security and rural development in India, and

other developing countries. A factor price support followed by mandatory procurement

for the crops alternative to rice and wheat that do not overexploit natural resources

and enabling policy mechanism and environment for other crops was stressed upon.

Emphasis should be on selecting and developing crops and varieties which result in

saving of inputs like water, electricity, fertilizers, etc.

l Promote CA as a theme ensuring effective linkages between R&D. Leverage funding

mechanisms to permit multidisciplinary teams of scientists and farmers to work in a

participatory mode and promote networking amongst farmers, scientists, farmmachinery manufacturers to facilitate information exchange and learning.


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l Adaptive strategies for CA will be site specific and call for initiation of R&D efforts

under a range of situations which aim at exploring multiple benefits by building

context specific partnerships to address key livelihood issues. Learning process across

the sites will be a powerful way of understanding which technologies and why theyare effective in a particular set of situations. This will greatly accelerate building a

knowledge base for sustainable resource management. Developing and promoting

networking to share information among partners will be critical in advancing spread

and continuous improvement of CA systems.

l As CA systems are much more complex managing the systems efficiently will be

highly demanding in term of understanding of basic processes and component

interactions which determine the whole system performance. Developing strategies to

manage CA systems will require a clear understanding of total system functioning and

building a systems perspective in generating and promoting new technologies. A

systems perspective is best build working in partnerships with farmers who are at thecore of the farming system and best understand this system. Scientists, farmers, extension

agents and other stakeholders like policy makers, private sector, working in partnership

mode will be critical in developing and promoting new technologies.

l Promoting CA will call for moving away from the conventional compartmentalized

and hierarchical arrangement of research that generates perfect technologies, extension

that delivers it and farmers who passively adopt it. All the stakeholders involved

would need to be brought together on a common platform to conceive end-to-end

strategies. Institutionalising the role of research, extension and farmers in such a way

that the partnership among these stakeholders might be strengthened right from thebeginning of the project, and building up sense or enabling of ownership among them.

l Conservation agriculture offers opportunities for diversified cropping systems in

different agro-ecoregions. Developing, improving and standardizing equipment for

seeding, fertilizer placement and harvesting ensuring minimum soil disturbance in

residue managemant for different edaphic conditions will be key to success of CA

systems. For many situations, for example in hilly tracts, for small land holders bullock

drawn equipment will have greater relevance. Ensuring quality and availability of

equipment through appropriate incentives will be important.

l

Impact of CA technologies on resource quality and environment is slow and significantchanges may show up only over a period of time. There is a need to set up long term

monitoring sites in representative agro-ecological situations to monitor resource quality,

ecology and productivity with a view to continuously improve management options

for sustained improvements. Evaluation and impact of CA practices therefore needs a

longer term and broader perspective, which goes beyond yield increase studies.

l Conservation agriculture practices i.e., no tillage and surface maintained crop residues

set in processes which initiate changes in soil physical, chemical and biological properties

which, in turn, affect root growth and crop yield. Understanding the dynamics of these

changes and interactions between physical, chemical and biological phases is basic to

developing improved soil, water and nutrients management strategies. Similarlyunderstanding the dynamics of qualitative and quantitative changes in soil biodiversity


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(flora and fauna), diseases and pest causing organisms including weeds in relation to

altered management practices is fundamental to evolve control measures which involve

minimum use of environmentally harmful chemicals.

l Conservation agriculture technologies bring about significant changes in the plant

growing microenvironment. These include changes in moisture regimes, root

environment, emergence of new pathogen populations and shifts in insect-pest scenario

etc. The requirements of plant type suited to the new environment and to meet specific

mechanization needs could be different. There is need to develop complementary crop

improvement programme aimed at populations which are better suited to the new

systems. Farmer-participation research approaches would appear promising for

identifying and developing crop varieties suiting specific environments or locations.

l Accelerated development and adoption of CA technologies will call for greatly

strengthened monitoring and evaluation along with policy research. Understandingconstraints in adoption and putting in place appropriate incentive for adopting CA

systems will be important. This will call for considerable strengthening of social science

research.

l There is a need for generating good resource database with agencies involved

complementing each others' work. Besides resources, systematic monitoring of the

socio-economic, environmental and institutional changes should become an integral

part of the major projects on CA. Inclusion of conservation and sustainability concepts

in the course curricula with a suitable blend of biophysical and social sciences would

be important.

Institutional mechanisms are required to ensure that CA is seen as a concept beyond

agriculture and promote it as a theme ensuring effective linkages between R&D activities.

Conservation agriculture must aim at broad livelihood strategies and move towards forming

conservation villages, with appropriate agribusiness strategies to increase employment in

areas where it is adapted. However, caution must be taken to avoid blanket adoption of

practices just everywhere, it should be site and production system based. Conservation

agriculture implies a radical change from traditional agriculture. There is a need for policy

analyses to understand how conservation technologies integrate with other technologies,

policy instruments and institutional arrangement that promote or deter conservation

agriculture. It is therefore a challenge both for the scientific community and the farmers toovercome the past mindset and explore the opportunities that CA offers for sustainable

agriculture. Spread of CA, therefore, will call for a greatly strengthened research and linked

development efforts.


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Annexure-I

National Conference

on

Conservation Agriculture :

Conserving Resources Enhancing Productivity

September 22-23, 2004

Programme

22 September, 2004

08300900 Registration

0900-1100 Session-I: Conservation Agriculture Progress & Potential

Chairperson: Mangala Rai

l Welcome and Introduction to the conference J.S. Samra

l Conference Objectives I.P. Abrol

l Conservation Agriculture Global experience Larry Harrington

& Olaf Erenstein

l Resource Conservation Technologies Indian R.K. Gupta

experience

l Resource Conservation Technologies Pakistan

experience Mushtaq Gill

l Conservation Agriculture The Route to Rural

Development V.L. Chopra

l Conservation Agriculture Reaching the Farmers:

Policy and Institutional Changes: Radha Singh

l Conservation Agriculture ICAR Priorities and

programmes Mangala Rai

1100-11.30 Tea Break

1130-1300 Session-II: Conservation Agriculture Experiences of the Line Departments

Chairperson: M.K. Miglani

l Haryana Farmer and add-on from R.S. Mehla GoH (20 min)

l Punjab Farmer and add-on from B.S. Sidhu GoP (20 min)

l UP and Bihar farmers and add - on from C.M. Singh & S.S. Singh (40 min)

l

Discussion

1300-1400 Lunch Break


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1400-1530 Session-III: Conservation Agriculture in rainfed farming systems

Chairperson: S.A. Patil

l ICRISAT experence S.P. Wani, ICRISAT

l Conservation Agriculture in rainfed SAT Y.S. Rama Krishna, CRIDAIndian perspective

l Conservation Agriculture in terrace lands V.N. Sharda, CSWCR&TI; H.S. Gupta, VPKAS

l Discussion

1530- 1600 Tea Break

1600-1830 Session-IV: Conservation Agriculture Technology Needs and Issues

Chairperson: S.K. Sharma

l Soil Cover Management and Machinery for Seeding R.K. Malikl Conservation Agriculture and Cropping Systems R.L. Yadav

l Conservation Agriculture and Crop Improvement A.K. JoshiStrategies

l General discussions

1930-2100 Dinner

23 September, 2004

0900- 1030 Session-V: Conservation Agriculture Inputs Management

Chairperson: Y.S. Rama Krishna

l IPM Strategies Saroj Jaipal

l Weed Management Strategies Samar Singh

l Water and Nutrient Management in Irrigated Systems J.K. Ladha

l Crop Residues - Animal feeding or Soil cover Arun Verma

l Discussion

1030-1100 Tea Break

1100-1300 Panel Discussion on Policy and Institutional Requirements

Chairperson: M.K. Miglani

Discussants

l Arun Bhakoo

l Mushtaq Gill

l Joginder Singh

l Rajeshwari Raina

l B.S. Sidhu

1300-1400 Lunch Break


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1400-1600 Group Discussions to define R&D priorities

Conveners

l IPM and Weed Management U.S. Singh

l Machinery and Crop Management T.C. Thakur

l Soil Cover Residue Management R.K. Sharma

l Genetic Enhancement Jagsoran

l Water and Nutrient Management B.M. Sharma

l Social Science/Policy Research and Net working, Joginder Singh/

linkages, information Exchange Rajeswari S. Raina

1600-1630 Tea Break

1630-1730 Plenary SessionChairperson: R.K. Gupta


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