Sustainable intensification of water guzzling crops: Identifying suitable cropping districts of India

Title

Sustainable intensification of water guzzling crops: Identifying suitable cropping districts of India

Creator

Chand P.; Rao S.; Agarwal P.; Jain R.

Description

With food sufficiency being achieved, emphasis of policy makers is now on to sustainable intensification in line with the objectives of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).Widening discrepancy between the water-resource supply and demand necessitates relook into the cropping pattern of the country.Based on district-level secondary data of area, productivity and level of groundwater extraction, this study aims to identify critical and potential area for cultivation of three major water-intensive crops, i.e.rice, wheat and sugarcane.Study found that 1.93 million ha of area under rice, mainly in north-western and western India, need a gradual shift.Nearly 43% of the rice cultivated area in eastern and north-eastern states of West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Assam has potential for further intensification of rice cultivation.In case of wheat, around 0.65 million ha of area, mostly in Rajasthan, is critical in terms of sustainability.Livestock is an integral part of agriculture in this region and hence diversification of wheat would require mixed strategy of shifting to alternative dual-purpose crops and wheat cultivation with water conservation technologies.Study ftirther found that around 13543 ha of sugarcane in mainly in western Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu is deterring the groundwater resources.Recommendations emanating from the study include differentiates agricultural price policy, payment for ecosystem services and greater focus on productivity enhancement in eastern India. 2021 Indian Council of Agricultural Research. All rights reserved.

Source

Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, Vol-91, No. 8, pp. 1117-1121.

Date

2021-01-01

Publisher

Indian Council of Agricultural Research

Subject

Diversification; Groundwater development; Relative spread index; Relative yield index; Sustainability

Coverage

Chand P., ICAR-National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research, New Delhi, 110012, India; Rao S., Christ (Deemed to Be) University, Uttar Pradesh, Ghaziabad, India; Agarwal P., ICAR-National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research, New Delhi, 110012, India; Jain R., ICAR-National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research, New Delhi, 110012, India

Rights

Restricted Access

Relation

ISSN: 195022; CODEN: IJASA

Format

Online

Language

English

Type

Article

Identifier

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85131625863&partnerID=40&md5=7570b19927f325f867c54b0c42f427ac