Scientific interventions to improve land and water productivity for climate-smart agriculture in South Asia

Abstract

Wheat-rice cropping system in South Asia has taken a toll on the natural resources of air, water, and soil as this proves to be labor, water, capital, and energy intensive and becomes less profitable under the current scenario of climate change. Adverse effects will be further intensified under changing climate, declining underground water table, and deteriorated soil structure. The frequency of droughts, heavy rain falls, and heat waves increased under the scenario of climate change which results in higher grain production instability. Further, number of rainy days, rainfall events, postpone of monsoons, mid-season droughts, etc. have observed in recent years, affecting the land and water productivity. For enhancing the profitability, productivity, and sustainability of this system, a paradigm shift is required. To improve declining land and water productivity under the prevailing climate change, scientists developed several resource conservation technologies (RCTs), viz., direct-seeded rice, irrigation based on soil matric potential, zero tillage in wheat, and mechanical transplanting of rice under different tillage conditions, being advocated in the region, which have been studied under isolated conditions for individual crops. A single RCT might not solve the purpose of improved land and water productivity; therefore an integrated approach with agronomic and soil manipulations depending on the location, soil textural class, and agroclimatic condition is the need of the hour. The delineated lower WP at the farmers’ fields compared to well-managed experimental plots indicates the need for a scope to improve it. However, these technologies need to be studied for complete wheat-rice cropping system in the region as a whole including the intervening periods. However, these technologies are site specific, and before selecting any particular RCT for a particular region, soil texture and agroclimatic conditions must be considered. Further, a single RCT would not be effective; therefore, an integrated approach is required. In this chapter, an attempt was made to discuss different scientific interventions and their different integrated approaches which might be used to improve land and water productivity under the climate change scenario for improving the productivity, profitability, and sustainability of RWCS in the region. But, after adopting any RCT or a set of RCTs, their residual effects need to be delineated not only during succeeding or proceeding crops but also on the soil moisture dynamics during intervening periods for finally improving the livelihoods of the poor farmers of South Asia under the scenario of climate change.