(GIST OF KURUKSHETRA) Conservation Agriculture Practices and Perspectives

(AUGUST-2025)

Conservation Agriculture Practices and Perspectives

Context:

During late 1980s, reports of large scale degradation of natural resources, and stagnating farm productivity levels rang alarm bell among agricultural scientists. Very soon, a consensus evolved to develop a new set of sustainable, environment-friendly and profitable farming practices.

Scientists developed a host of promising farming practices and technologies under the broad theme of ‘Conservation Agriculture’. The term was coined in the 1990s, but some of its practices were prevalent in India and other countries as farmers’ own exercises.

Sustainability is the Key

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) describes CA as a system for managing agro-ecosystems that aims to ensure food security, enhance profitability, and protect natural resources.

In addition to various benefits of conservation, CA promotes reverse degradation processes and improves resource quality in due course. Various case studies of CA farms have reported enhanced income of farmers due to reduction in production costs and sustained higher productivity.

Basic Functions of Conservation Agriculture:

Consistent management and maintenance of a healthy soil cover is the essence of all CA interventions, and to achieve this, three basic functions are followed.

First, minimum mechanical soil disturbance of adopting zero tillage and direct seeding methods prevents soil erosion and preserves soil organic matter.
In the second action, efforts are made to maintain a permanent soil organic cover and protects the soil from the damaging effects of extreme sunlight and rain. Further, it helps to preserve soil moisture, avoids compaction of soil, and adds to soil health by enhancing soil biodiversity.
As the third step, instead of monocropping (single crop), crop diversification is adopted in CA farms through varied crop sequences, rotations and associations. Crop diversity promotes soil structure, fosters a diverse range of soil flora and fauna, and helps prevent pests and diseases.

Proponents of Conservation Agriculture:

Proponents of CA have recommended a new technique for land preparation, called zero-tillage (ZT), to eliminate or minimise mechanical soil disturbance. Earlier, in traditional farming, repeated ploughing had been an essential element, but later, due to several negative impacts (e.g. soil erosion, loss of organic matter, reduced water infiltration, etc.) it was shunned in favour of ZT.
Crop seeds can be directly sown in unprepared farms even when crop stubbles of previous crops are present in fields. New generation farm machinery, called ‘Zero-Till Seed-cum-Fertilizer Drill’, can place the seed and fertilizer at an appropriate depth and in the desired quantity. Crop residue on the soil surface provides a very effective mulch cover for moisture and nutrient conservation, temperature moderation, and weed control.
ZT is being successfully adopted in many kharif and rabi crops, but has proven a boon to farmers who want to sow wheat immediately after harvest of rice. In Punjab and Haryana, where rice-wheat cropping system is most prevalent, the limited turn-around time between rice harvest and sowing of wheat pose a serious challenge for farmers to sustainably handle surplus rice residues.
Hence, majority of farmers resort to the simplest and most cost-effective solution, they burn rice residues in fields. The residue burning deteriorates air quality, and has a significant adverse effect on human pulmonary functions.
Residue burning also reduces farming-system productivity in the long run by reducing soil microbial activity and depleting soil organic carbon. ZT in these areas is being promoted vigorously to eliminate the harmful practice of residue burning in fields.
By adopting crop sequences or crop rotations, both annual and perennial crops can be grown with efficient management of wastes and crop residues.
Inclusion of legume crops in crop rotations increases biological fixation of nitrogen which enriches soil health. Retention of crop residues on soil surface prevents evaporation and loss of soil moisture, and keeps the soil in relatively wetter condition for a longer period of time. Resultantly, the irrigation intervals can be prolonged, and there is requirement of 1-2 irrigations less under CA as compared to conventional agriculture.

Research, Support and Adoption

In India, efforts have been made to advance CA research, extension, and adoption since mid-1990s through various national and international initiatives. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), being the apex national body for agri-research, included CA in its specific programmes, such as National Innovation on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA), National Agricultural Technology Project (NATP) and National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP). Consortium Research Platform on CA, under ICAR, operates in 11 locations across the country to adapt and mainstream CA practices.

Some of the State Agricultural Universities, ICAR-institutes and ‘Rice-Wheat Consortium for the Indo-Gangetic Plains’ have joined forces to develop and promote CA. Some of the prominent international agri-research organisations, such as Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA), Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), International Rice Research Institute (IRRl), have made considerable efforts to develop best CA practices through on station and farmers participatory research.

Benefits and Beyond

Fundamentally, CA is a resource-conserving practice with the potential to increase yields with a lower intake of inputs. But beyond its technicality, it casts far and wide economical, social, and environmental impacts.
Divergent views prevail regarding increase in yields of a CA crop. Some stakeholders claimed that the early phases of CA adoption (1-2 years) can lead to a loss in yields as reduced tillage practices result in ‘nutrient or nitrogen immobility.’ But, very soon, improved soil moisture, improved soil fertility, and crop rotational benefits contribute significantly in enhancing farm yields.
In the Indo-Gangetic plains, zero-tillage reportedly gave 10-17 percent higher yields than conventional tillage in rice and wheat. In another study, zero-till wheat has shown better yield improvements of 200-500 kg per hectare as compared to conventionally grown wheat. However, various other factors, such as climatic conditions, agro- ecological zonal variations, technique of seeding, etc. also influence yields under CA.
CA, as a resource conserving practice, reduces production costs through the precise, efficient, and optimal use of various inputs, such as fertilisers, herbicides, water, etc. Additionally, zero- tillage minimises or eliminates requirement of labour, fuel and machinery in field preparation. A study revealed that the cost of production of wheat might decrease by Rs. 2,000-3,000 per hectare.

Challenges, Prospects and Way Forward

Despite demonstrated benefits, adoption of CA in India has not gained desired momentum due to many technical, economical, and social constraints.
CA is a highly technology-driven system in which many practices are in sharp contrast to traditional belief. Hence, tremendous amount of efforts are needed to persuade the farmers for adoption of this technology.
High-cost and limited availability of specific zero-till machinery are technical-cum-financial barriers, especially for small farmers.
Government initiatives to improve accessibility of machinery need to be further strengthened, and establishment of CA mechanisation hubs is suggested in potential villages.
Development of scalable and sustainable business models for promoting adoption of CA is an urgent need to make it successful pan-India.
By providing technology support, large areas of barren and fallow lands can also be brought under CA, and profitable cropping systems can be adopted.

Conclusion:

Research findings need to be transformed into perfect technologies through trials in research farms and demonstration in farmers’ fields. In agriculture sector, the concept of ‘Conservation Agriculture’ must be prioritised to ensure more sustainable and efficient farming practices that benefit both the present and future generations.