The Hindu Business Line : Conservation farming gathering pace

Globally, around 72 million hectares of farm land has come under ‘Conservation Agriculture’. Brazil is the leader with 22 million hectares or 45 per cent of its total cultivated land.

In India, just about 2 million tonnes are under this agriculture practice, which rests on conserving precious resources such as water, diesel, labour and protect land from degrading.

If the total land under Conservation Agriculture reaches 3.5 million hectares, the saving in diesel alone would be 120 million litres, said Mr P.K. Joshi, Director, National Centre for Agricultural Economics and Policy Research (NCAEPR).

Benefits

In Brazil, studies have shown that to harvest one tonne of soya about 10 hectares gets degraded. The US, Australia, Argentina and Canada have also found the benefits of this practice and are increasing acreage, he told newspersons here on Tuesday.

The Rice-Wheat Consortium project in the Indo-Gangetic area and parts of Bihar, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh are seeing the use of these practices, Mr Joshi said, while giving details of the upcoming Fourth World Congress on Conservation Agriculture to be held in New Delhi during February 4-7, 2009.

While conservation practices, use of zero tillage machines and other steps have been under implementation in several areas, the scope for intensifying with good results are in the North Western and Central India.

They are most needed in dryland areas as well, he said.

Regulation in Punjab

In Punjab, a new regulation that will put a stop to early transplanting of rice crop, burning of rice straw and other measures to aid in conservation agriculture was announced just a few days ago, Mr Joshi said.

Farmers who adopt resource conservation technologies are able to save water and energy costs, attain higher yields and get more returns.

Large scale trials and farmers experience show that available technologies can be adopted in a wide range of rainfed and irrigated environment, he added.

The World meet, being hosted by India for the first time, would see more than 1,000 delegates representing scientists, community, policy advisors, farmers organisations, corporate leaders and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) participating.

Dr K. Venkateswarulu, Director of the Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA), here said in Andhra Pradesh also the benefits of conservation agriculture have been demonstrated.

The effective usage of agri implements and improved technologies would be useful.