Enhancing resource use efficiency through soil management for improving livelihoods

Abstract

Sustainable intensification and improvement in farm-based livelihoods particularly in dryland tropics are the biggest challenges of the century. Widespread soil degradation, growing water scarcity, and looming threat of climate change further compound the problem of achieving food and nutritional security along with improved livelihoods. Large yield gaps in drylands provide a huge opportunity to increase the food production for future food security and mainstreaming of drylands. Soil management for correcting micro and secondary nutrient deficiencies has shown to increase crop productivity by 20-66% in Karnataka, India. During 2009-2013 in this state, more than 5 million farmers benefitted and net economic benefits through increased production were estimated to the tune of US$353 million (Rs. 1963 crores). Balanced nutrition led to increased nitrogen uptake efficiency, utilization efficiency, and use efficiency for grain yield and harvest index. Best practices like soil test-based fertilization including micronutrients and improved cultivars also contribute to increasing rainwater use efficiency in crops by channelizing unproductive evaporation loss into productive transpiration. In current rainy fallow regions, the landform management like broadbed and furrow along with balanced nutrition has shown that fallow lands in black soil regions in Madhya Pradesh can be successfully cultivated to grow soybean crop. Similarly soil fertility management along with other best practices provides opportunities for intensification through cultivating 11.4 million ha rice fallow in India by growing of early maturing chickpea. Thus, efficient rainy and post-rice fallow management is a way forward to enhance land use efficiency for higher productivity and incomes. Along with productivity and economic benefits, improved soil-nutrient-crop-water management is found to contribute to organic C building, enhancing microbial activity and resilience building of production systems. Efficient soil management thus serves as a foundation to enhance livelihoods through resource-efficient production and providing opportunities for scaling up.