Review On: Resource conservation practices for sustainable agriculture

Abstract

Conservation agriculture useful for meeting future food demands and also contributing to sustainable agriculture. It helps to minimizing the negative environmental effect and equally important to increase income of farmer by reducing cost of cultivation. Introduction of conservation technologies (CT) was an important break through for sustaining productivity. It seeks to conserve, improve and make more efficient use of natural resources through integrated management of soil, water, crops and other biological resources in combination with selected external inputs. The term Conservation agriculture refers to the system of raising crops without tilling the soil while retaining crop residues on the soil surface. The total area under no-tillage/zero tillage in India it is about 3.43 m ha. Efforts to adapt and promote resource conservation technologies have been underway for nearly a decade. Spread of conservation agriculture have been made through the combined efforts of several SAU’s, ICAR institutes and the CG promoted, Rice-Wheat Consortium for the Indo-Gangetic Plains. Resource conservation technologies should form an important component of the regional strategy for food security, rural development, enhance profitability, and sustainability of natural resources. Resource conservation practices saved on fuel, labour, irrigation water, production cost, energy etc along with positive effects on soil health and environmental quality. Thus conservation agriculture that help farmer to reduce cost of cultivation and increase their profitability & improving soil health should be encouraged for their large scale acceleration at farm level.