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Browsing Book Chapter by Subject "Agriculture"

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    Conservation Agriculture in South Asia
    (2022-02) Yashpal Singh Saharawat ; Gill, M; Mahesh K. Gathala; Tika B. Karki; Wijeratne, D.B.T.; Samiullah, S.; Neelam Chaudhary; Md. Enamul Haque; Richard W. Bell; C.M. Parihar; Hari Sankar Nayak; Rajbir Singh; R. K. Malik; Upendra Singh; Raj Paroda; Amir Kassam
    South Asia, a home of 1.7 billion people houses the most poor and malnourished people globally. The region need to double its food production by 2050. Current scenario puts South Asian agriculture in a dilema facing triple challenges: to increase production to meet the food demand of growing human population with a lower environmental footprint, preserve natural resources and mitigate or adapt to the changing climatic scenarios. Conservation Agriculture offers a number of benefits such as arresting and reversing the resource degradation, decreasing cultivation costs, making agriculture more resource – use efficient, competitive and sustainable whilst increasing resilience to climatic variability and improving livelihood incomes in South Asia. The CA approach for managing agro ecosystems is of paramount significance in improving soil health, sustained productivity and maintaining natural biodiversity. However, there is still a large knowledge gap in understanding of nutrient and water management in CA Systems
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    Increasing the Efficiency of Water Use in Crop Production
    (2013-09) Herman van Keulen; Bindraban, Prem S.
    Agriculture is by far the largest user of water. Increasing the use efficiency of water is essential to sustainably provide food for humans and water for maintaining natural ecosystems. The production ecological approach presented in this chapter allows us to identify constraining factors in crop production that depress use efficiency of water and to determine intervention measures. Much of the additional water needed for world food production in 2050 can be obtained by improving agronomic practices, though expansion of agricultural land to capture rainwater will be inevitable
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    Increasing Water Productivity in Agriculture
    (2013-08) Katrien Descheemaeker; Stuart W. Bunting; Bindraban, Prem S.; Catherine Muthuri; David Molden; Malcolm Beveridge; Martin van Brakel; Mario Herrero; Floriane Clement; Eline Boelee; Devra I. Jarvis
    Increasing water productivity is an important element in improved water management for sustainable agriculture, food security and healthy ecosystem functioning. Water productivity is defi ned as the amount of agricultural output per unit of water depleted, and can be assessed for crops, trees, livestock and fi sh. This chapter reviews challenges in and opportunities for improving water productivity in socially equitable and sustainable ways by thinking beyond technologies, and fostering enabling institutions and policies. Both in irrigated and rainfed cropping systems, water productivity can be improved by choosing well-adapted crop types, reducing unproductive water losses and maintaining healthy, vigorously growing crops through optimized water, nutrient and agronomic management. Livestock water productivity can be increased through improved feed management and animal husbandry, reduced animal mortality, appropriate livestock watering and sustainable grazing management. In agroforestry systems, the key to success is choosing the right combination of trees and crops to exploit spatial and temporal complementarities in resource use. In aquaculture systems, most water is depleted indirectly for feed production, via seepage and evaporation from water bodies, and through polluted water discharge, and efforts to improve water productivity should be directed at minimizing those losses. Identifying the most promising options is complex and has to take into account environmental, fi nancial, social and health-related considerations. In general, improving agricultural water productivity, thus freeing up water for ecosystem functions, can be achieved by creating synergies across scales and between various agricultural sectors and the environment, and by enabling multiple uses of water and equitable access to water resources for different groups in society.