Conservation agricultural practices in semi arid zone of Rajasthan (original) (raw)

Rajasthan Stands at fifth position after Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh in food grain production, and stands at third position in area. Conservation agriculture (CA) technologies involve minimum soil disturbance, permanent soil cover through crop residues or cover crops, crop rotations for achieving higher productivity and helps to improve biodiversity in the natural and agroecosystems. CA improves soil water use efficiency, enhances water infiltration, and increases insurance against drought. CA provides a base for sustainable intensification of the agricultural production system. Thus, CA is based on the integrated management of soil, water and agricultural resources in order to reach the objective of economically, ecologically and socially sustainable agricultural production. However, there are still constraints for promotion of CA technologies, such as lack of appropriate seeders for small and medium farmers, burning of crop residues etc. The need to develop the policy frame and strategies is urgent to promote CA in the region. In Rajasthan, high intensity and erratic rains associated with poor soil permeability creates excessive runoff and severe erosion hazards. In this region farmrainwater harvesting can be done. Low and highly unstable crop production and rapidly falling groundwater levels are the major challenges to be tackled in semi-arid rainfed areas. This paper reviews the emerging concerns of conventional agriculture systems, and analyses the constraints, policy issues and research needs for conservation agriculture in Rajasthan.