Improving soil and crop productivity through resource conservation technologies in drought prone area

Resource conserving technologies (RCTs) enhance input use efficiency and provide immediate identifiable and demonstrate economic benefits such as reduction of production costs, savings in water, fuel and labor requirements and timely establishment of crops resulting in improve yields. Rice is transplanted in flat fields that are typically ponded for long periods that negatively affect soil properties for the non-puddled crop (Kumar et al. 2000). Wheat is then planted in structurally disturbed soils, often after many tillage operations to prepare the seedbed. Growing crops on the raised beds offers more effective control of irrigation water and drainage management. Permanent raised beds might offer significant advantages for crop yields and be further increased by using residue retention (Sayre et al. 2005). Yields of rice and wheat in heat and water-stressed environments can be raised significantly by adopting RCTs, which minimize unfavorable environmental impacts, especially in small and medium-scale farms. Inclusion of grain legumes in rice-wheat cropping system may be another option for increasing cropping intensity, soil fertility and productivity. Limon-Ortega et al. (2000) observed that permanent beds with straw retention had the highest wheat grain yields with positive implications for soil health. Thus, crop residue management along raised bed strategies, are likely to be key components of increase crop productivity and soil fertility in rice-wheat system

Increasing crop productivity while reducing greenhouse gas emissions through resource conservation technologies in rice-wheat-mungbean cropping system

Resource conserving technologies (RCTs) enhance input use efficiency and provide immediate identifiable economic benefits like reduced production costs, savings in water, fuel and labor requirements and timely establishment of crops resulting in improved productivity. They can also reduce GHG emissions with less global warming impact (Aggarwal et.al. 2002). The CO2 mitigation strategy for intensive rice-wheat-mungbean cropping systems has not been well studied. Crop residue management, tillage type and N fertilization strategies are likely factors to increase crop productivity and alter fuel consumption. The objective of this trial is to assess the potential productivity and reduction in GHG emissions by using RCT in rice-wheat system

Is conservation agriculture a potential option for cereal-based sustainable farming system in the Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains of Nepal?

A decline in land and water productivity, increase in the cost of cultivation, and labor-intensive practices are affecting the cereal-based farming system in Nepal, particularly in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP). Conservation agriculture (CA) practices have been found to be the climate-, energy-, and labor-smart and sustainable agricultural production technologies. Sustainable and Resilient Farming System Intensification (SRFSI) has been working since 2014 in response to the sustainability of the cereal-based (rice–wheat and rice–maize) farming in Sunsari and Dhanusha districts of Nepal. This study was conducted to assess the adoption and scaling up of CA in addition to input usage, production, net profit, benefit to cost (B:C) ratio, and labor use of CA practice on average scale land holdings in Sunsari district. The study employed structured questionnaires and key informant surveys as the main data collection tools and project reports were used as secondary data. Results revealed that farmers had several tangible advantages: lower labor utilization per area (71 people day−1 ha−1 as compared to 106 for conventional), lower input cost (NRs. 78,395 ha−1 as compared to 102,727 ha−1), less irrigation with regards to ponding time (50%) as compared to conventional practice, and higher crop productivity (8.11 t ha−1 as compared to 8.08 t ha−1 in rice–wheat and 13.1 t ha−1 as compared to 11.75 t ha−1in conventional rice–maize) farming system through the adoption of CA practices. This study assessed the potential of CA-based practices in a cereal-based cropping system to improve the yields and net profit for sustainability

Is conservation agriculture a potential option for cereal-based sustainable farming system in the Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains of Nepal?

A decline in land and water productivity, increase in the cost of cultivation, and labor-intensive practices are affecting the cereal-based farming system in Nepal, particularly in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP). Conservation agriculture (CA) practices have been found to be the climate-, energy-, and labor-smart and sustainable agricultural production technologies. Sustainable and Resilient Farming System Intensification (SRFSI) has been working since 2014 in response to the sustainability of the cereal-based (rice–wheat and rice–maize) farming in Sunsari and Dhanusha districts of Nepal. This study was conducted to assess the adoption and scaling up of CA in addition to input usage, production, net profit, benefit to cost (B:C) ratio, and labor use of CA practice on average scale land holdings in Sunsari district. The study employed structured questionnaires and key informant surveys as the main data collection tools and project reports were used as secondary data. Results revealed that farmers had several tangible advantages: lower labor utilization per area (71 people day−1 ha−1 as compared to 106 for conventional), lower input cost (NRs. 78,395 ha−1 as compared to 102,727 ha−1), less irrigation with regards to ponding time (50%) as compared to conventional practice, and higher crop productivity (8.11 t ha−1 as compared to 8.08 t ha−1 in rice–wheat and 13.1 t ha−1 as compared to 11.75 t ha−1in conventional rice–maize) farming system through the adoption of CA practices. This study assessed the potential of CA-based practices in a cereal-based cropping system to improve the yields and net profit for sustainability

Chemical Weed Management in Maize (<em>Zea mays</em> L.) under Conservation Agricultural Systems: An Outlook of the Eastern Gangetic Plains in South-Asia

Maize is a widely grown cereal after rice and wheat and contributes almost 5% to the global dietary supply. In the Eastern Gangetic Plains (EGP) including India, Bangladesh, and Nepal, maize is an emerging cash crop, because of its high yield potentiality and also the favorable climatic conditions which allow maize production round the year. In Bangladesh, area and production of maize are escalating due to the increasing demand for poultry, livestock, and fish feed, and fodder for animals and starch industries in the region. Presently, more than 90% of maize is planted by manual dibbling following 5–6 intensive tillage, which increases the cost of cultivation. The conservation agricultural (CA)-based new agricultural practices could overcome those above challenges. CA is cost-effective and environmentally friendly; however, weeds are one of the key challenges in the system. The chapter described the uses of herbicides in different ways of combinations to make effective weed control in CA-based maize to achieve potential production and profits by reducing the intensive pressure of manual weeding. The efficient and right use of pre-plant/sowing, pre- and post-emergence herbicides and their combination may be the best way for effective control of weeds in maize production

Reduced tillage and crop diversification can improve productivity and profitability of rice-based rotations of the Eastern Gangetic Plains

Intensive rice (Oryza sativa)-based cropping systems in south Asia provide much of the calorie and protein requirements of low to middle-income rural and urban populations. Intensive tillage practices demand more resources, damage soil quality, and reduce crop yields and profit margins. Crop diversification along with conservation agriculture (CA)-based management practices may reduce external input use, improve resource-use efficiency, and increase the productivity and profitability of intensive cropping systems. A field study was conducted on loamy soil in a sub-tropical climate in northern Bangladesh to evaluate the effects of three tillage options and six rice-based cropping sequences on grain, calorie, and protein yields and gross margins (GM) for different crops and cropping sequences. The three tillage options were: (1) conservation agriculture (CA) with all crops in sequences untilled, (2) alternating tillage (AT) with the monsoon season rice crop tilled but winter season crops untilled, and (3) conventional tillage (CT) with all crops in sequences tilled. The six cropping sequences were: rice-rice (R-R), rice-mung bean (Vigna radiata) (R-MB), rice-wheat (Triticum aestivum) (R-W), rice-maize (Zea mays) (R-M), rice-wheat-mung bean (R-W-MB), and rice-maize-mung bean (R-M-MB). Over three years of experimentation, the average monsoon rice yield was 8% lower for CA than CT, but the average winter crops yield was 13% higher for CA than CT. Systems rice equivalent yield (SREY) and systems calorie and protein yields were about 5%, 3% and 6%, respectively, higher under CA than CT; additionally, AT added approximately 1% more to these benefits. The systems productivity gain under CA and AT resulted in higher GM by 16% while reducing the labor and total production cost under CA than CT. The R-M rotation had higher SREY, calorie, protein yields, and GM by 24%, 26%, 66%, and 148%, respectively, than the predominantly practiced R-R rotation. The R-W-MB rotation had the highest SREY (30%) and second highest (118%) GM. Considering the combined effect of tillage and cropping system, CA with R-M rotation showed superior performance in terms of SREY, protein yield, and GM. The distribution of labor use and GM across rotations was grouped into four categories: R-W in low-low (low labor use and low GM), R-M in low-high (low labor use and high GM), R-W-MB and R-M-MB in high-high (high labor use and high GM) and R-R and R-MB in high-low (high labor use and low GM). In conclusion, CA performed better than CT in different winter crops and cropping systems but not in monsoon rice. Our results demonstrate the multiple benefits of partial and full CA-based tillage practices employed with appropriate crop diversification to achieve sustainable food security with greater calorie and protein intake while maximizing farm profitability of intensive rice-based rotational systems

WP 3: Sustainable farming systems intensification for climate resilient decomposition of yield gaps

From Fragility to Resilience in Central and West Asia and North Africa (F2R CWANA) WP 3: Sustainable farming systems intensification for climate resilient decomposition of yield gaps Inception Workshop Morocco May 17, 2022

TAFSSA on-farm research trials Bangladesh: Protocol for field implementation

On-farm research trials are part of TAFSSA's Work Package 2 (WP2) activities. WP2 emphasizes farm- and landscape-level interdisciplinary research to identify strategies to increase farmers' profits and nutritional yields, conserve resources, and maintain or enhance ecological services, while also mitigating greenhouse gas (GHC) emissions from farms and agricultural landscapes. Going beyond typical agriculture-nutrition programs in South Asia, we explore field- and landscape-scale crop and animal farm diversification options supporting multiple benefits, including potential nutritional yield, across environmental and socio-economic gradients of rice-based farming systems. Rangpur and Rajshahi divisions in the north of Bangladesh have been selected as learning sites based on key information on food and nutrition security gaps, environmental stresses and climate challenges, as well as the prevalence of commodities and farming systems which offer the greatest potential to achieve TAFSSA's outcomes