Enhancing Inputs Use Efficiency through Resource Conservation Technologies: Empirical Evidences from Different Agro Climatic Zones of Uttar Pradesh

Abstract

Resource conservation technologies (RCTs) are one of the improved practices for crop production, which enhance input use efficiency and reduce the negative consequences of crop production. Out of several options of RCTs, farmers mainly adopt and use zero/reduced tillage and rotavator for land preparation and sowing of wheat crop. The present study is based on primary data and it was collected from eight agro-climatic zones of Uttar Pradesh by using snowball method. Results suggest that, average cost of cultivation of wheat crop was lower and gross and net return from wheat was higher in case of RCTs adopters as compared to non-adopters. The economic benefits due to adoption of RCTs were higher in all the agro-climatic zones of Uttar Pradesh. After adoption of RCTs, diesel consumption, carbon emission and irrigation water use substantially reduced in the study area. The agronomic and net economic water productivity was higher for RCTs adopters as compared to non-adopters. The study further suggests that if farmers of eight agro-climatic zones of Uttar Pradesh allocate 25 per cent their wheat irrigated area under both technologies, the incremental wheat yield benefit and irrigation water saving would be the tune of 12.74 million quintal and 1011.09 MCM, respectively. Furthermore, if farmers of eight agro-climatic zones of Uttar Pradesh allocate 50 per cent their wheat irrigated area in future under both technologies an incremental wheat yield benefit would be 25.47 million quintals and irrigation water saving would be 2022.19 MCM. The allocation of 50 per cent of wheat irrigated area under both the technologies is quite possible after elimination of certain constraints in adoption of RCTs in the study area. The major constraints associated with the adoption of technologies are high cost of machines and non-availability of machines in time and at lower hiring charges. For the adoption of both technologies on large scale, government should provide more subsidies on the purchase of zero-tillage and rotavator machines because the cost of these machines are very high and farmers are unable to purchase them because of poor economic conditions in the study area. It will also help to reduce the hiring cost and availability of machines in time due to increase in number of machines in the study area

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