Surinder S Kukal
THE food bowl of India direly needs to revitalise its agro-ecosystem to preserve natural resources such as water and soil and sustain agricultural production. The soil in Punjab and Haryana has been denuded of its inherent nutrients due to the intensive cultivation of high-yielding cultivars of rice and wheat. The non-recycling of plant and animal residue in this monoculture agro-ecosystem over the past three decades has aggravated the situation. The indiscriminate application of pesticides has polluted the soil. The water-guzzling crops of paddy and spring maize, along with the ‘over-irrigation’ tendency of farmers, have depleted the groundwater. Its quality has also been deteriorating with its fast depletion. Irregular rainfall with frequent dry spells in recent years has put additional burden on the groundwater in the region. Also, the climate chaos poses a huge challenge to the agricultural production system of northwest India.
INFOCUS: Agriculture - Integrated input management
We need to shift our focus towards regenerative agriculture and frame policies accordingly in Punjab, Haryana and western UP.
Regenerative agriculture aspires to spur the agro-ecosystem to follow natural cycles — carbon cycle, water cycle and other nutrient cycles. Nature offers these cycles to sustain life on earth. However, due to various anthropogenic activities, these cycles have got disturbed. This has led to a scarcity of nutrients and water, coupled with pollution of air, water and soil. Regenerative agriculture aims to restore these natural cycles to a great extent, if not to their original status. For this purpose, we need to assess the life cycle of the prevalent cropping systems for the use of various inputs. Efforts need to be made to minimise the use of chemicals, be it fertilisers or pesticides. This can best be made possible through the integrated and judicious use of organic, chemical and water inputs. The modules of integrated water management (IWM), integrated pest management (IPM) and integrated nutrient management (INM) need to be clubbed for integrated input management (IIM) because the extent of application of each input affects the others in one way or the other. For example, a higher application of nitrogen fertiliser leads to a greater insect-pest attack and a higher use of water. Similarly, a higher use of water affects the loss of nutrients through leaching and/or volatilisation losses, thereby impacting their availability to the plants. IIM involves integrating the nutrient, water and pesticide use with the aim of optimising input use.
Integrated water management: IWM should aim at rainwater harvesting, soil moisture conservation, conservation irrigation techniques, etc.
Integrated pest management: IPM should aim at minimising the use of synthetic pesticides.
Integrated nutrient management: INM is aimed at lowering the dependence on synthetic fertilisers for plant nutrients and reducing nutrient losses through leaching and volatilisation.
The three modules must be integrated to formulate cropping system-specific integrated input management for regenerative agriculture.
The author is a member of the Punjab Water Regulation & Development Authority
Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.
3
5