Conservation Agriculture and C sequestration in tropical regions

Abstract

This chapter discusses the status, problems and prospects of conservation agriculture (CA) in the smallholder farming system in the tropics. The resource conservation technology in the form of no-till wheat after rice in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) is picking up by alleviating system’s constraints through advancing wheat planting, which addresses the issues of terminal heat stresses, helps control of weed (Phalaris minor), reduces production costs and saves water and energy. The analysis shows that conservation agriculture (CA) in the broader context of resource conservation technology not only improves soil health but also gives higher net returns per unit of land to the farmers. The major constraints for practising CA in these regions include insufficient amounts of residues due to water shortage and degraded nature of soil resources, competing uses of crop residues, resource-poor smallholder farmers and lack of in-depth research. There is a need for strategic long-term research, particularly in the rainfed regions for exploring the prospects for the adoption of CA before it could be taken to the farmers’ doorsteps.