Sustainable Agriculture (Praveen Bhardwaj)

Introduction: - A sustainable agriculture is a system of agriculture that will last. It is an

agriculture that maintains its productivity over the long run. Sustainable agriculture is both a
philosophy and a system of farming. It has its roots in a set of values that reflects an awareness
of both ecological and social realities. It involves design and management procedures that work
with natural processes to conserve all resources, minimize waste and environmental damage,
while maintaining or improving farm profitability. Working with natural soil processes is of
particular importance. Sustainable agriculture systems are designed to take maximizes advantage
of existing soil nutrient and water cycles, energy flows, and soil organisms for food production.
As well, such systems aim to produce food that is nutritious, without being contaminated with
products that might harm human health.

In practice such systems have tended to avoid the use of synthetically compounded fertilizers,
pesticides, growth regulators, and livestock feed additives. These substances are rejected on the
basis of their dependence on non-renewable resources, disruption potential within the
environment, and their potential impacts on wildlife, livestock and human health. For example,
synthetically compounded fertilizers and pesticides generally suppress biological activity in the
soil. Some growth regulators and feed additives are implicated in retarding the decomposition of
manure and are potential human health hazards. Instead, sustainable agriculture systems rely on
crop rotations, crop residues, animal manures, legumes, green manures, off-farm organic wastes,
appropriate mechanical cultivation, and mineral bearing rocks to maximize soil biological
activity, and to maintain soil fertility and productivity. Natural, biological, and cultural controls
are used to manage pests, weeds and diseases.

The idea of sustainable agriculture has been around a long time. Since the very first crop was
sown and animal was penned, farmers have tried to ensure that their land produces a similar or
increasing yield of products year after back-breaking year; recent attempts to popularize the
concept build on this tradition.

1
 Sustainable Agriculture (Praveen Bhardwaj)
Definitions of Sustainable Agriculture
 Modern definition: Sustainable agriculture is the use of farming systems and
practices which maintain or enhance.
1. The economic viability of agricultural production;
2. The natural resource base; and
3. Other ecosystems which are influenced by agricultural activities.

Sustainable Agriculture in Global perspective

Definition 1: The successful management of resources for agriculture to satisfy changing

human needs while maintaining or enhancing the Natural resource-base and avoiding
environmental degradation.

Definition 2: Low-External-Input and Sustainable Agriculture (LEISA):-LEISA is agriculture

which makes optimal use of locally available natural and human resources (such as soil, water,
vegetation, local plants and animals, and human labour, knowledge and skill) and which is
economically feasible, ecologically sound, culturally adapted and socially.

 Objectives of Sustainable Agriculture

 Make best use of the resources available
 Minimize use of non-renewable resources
 Protect the health and safety of farm workers, local communities and society
 Protect and enhance the environment and natural resources
 Protect the economic viability of farming operations
 Provide sufficient financial reward to the farmer to enable continued production and
contribute to the well-being of the community
 Produce sufficient high-quality and safe food
 Build on available technology, knowledge and skills in ways that suit local conditions
and capacity.

2
 Sustainable Agriculture (Praveen Bhardwaj)
Concept of Sustainable Agriculture
The agro-ecosystem is made up of many interacting components with multiple goals. These are
following:-

1. Conserve and Create Healthy Soil

 Stop soil erosion by terracing, strip cropping, repairing gullies

 Add organic matter to soil (with "green manure" cover crops, compost, manures, crop
residues, organic fertilizers)
 Conservation tillage
 Plant wind breaks
 Rotatecash crops with hay, pasture, or cover crops

2. Conserve Water and Protect Its Quality

 Stop soil erosion in field and pasture

 Reduce use of chemicals
 Establish conservation buffer areas
 Grow crops adapted to rainfall received
 Use efficient irrigation methods.

3. Manage Organic Wastes and Farm Chemicals So They Don't Pollute Organic wastes:

 Test soil and applying manures and litters only when needed
 Compost dead birds and litters
 Store litter piles out of the rain and snow
 Raise pastured or free-range poultry
 Raise hogs in hoop houses or free-range
 Farm chemicals and trash:
 Look for alternatives to chemicals
 Use the least amount necessary
 Buy the least toxic chemical
 Recycle

3
 Sustainable Agriculture (Praveen Bhardwaj)
 Dispose according to label instructions

4. Manage Pests with Minimal Environmental Impact Weed Management Mechanical

Approaches

 Mowing
 Flaming
 Flooding
 Tillage
 Controlled burns

5. Cultural Approaches

 Crop Rotation
 Smother crops
 Cover crops
 Allelopathic plants
 Close spacing of plants

6. Biological Approaches

 Multi-species grazing
 Rotational grazing
 Chemical Approaches
 Integrated Pest Management
 Use of narrow spectrum, least-toxic herbicides
 Properly calibrated sprayers

Application methods that minimize amount used, drift, and farmer contact

7. Insect and Disease Management

 Introduce or enhance existing populations of natural predators, pathogens, sterile insects,

and other biological control agents.

4
 Sustainable Agriculture (Praveen Bhardwaj)
 Traps
 Maintain wild areas or areas planted with species attractive to beneficial insects
 Selective insecticides or botanical insecticides which are less toxic
 Trap crops
 Crop rotation (avoid monoculture) Intercropping, strip cropping
 Maintain healthy soil (prevents soil-based diseases)
 Keep plants from becoming stressed

8 . Select Plants and Animals Adapted to the Environment

 Grow crops and crop varieties well-suited to Oklahoma's climate

 Match crops to the soil
 Experiment with older, open pollinated varieties that do well without chemical inputs
 Raise hardy breeds of livestock adapted to climate
 Raise livestock that gain well on grass and native forages

9. Encourage Bio-diversity
Diversify crops and livestock raised Leave habitat (field margins, unmoved strips, pond and
stream borders, etc.,) for wildlife Maintain the health of streams and ponds Provide wildlife
corridors rotate row crops with hay crops

10. Conserve Energy Resources

 Reduce number of tillage operations

 Cut use of chemicals and fertilizers
 Develop production methods that reduce horsepower needs
 Recycle used oil
 Use solar-powered fences and machines
 Use renewable, farm-produced fuels: ethanol, methanol, fuel oils from oil seed cops,
methane from manures and crop wastes

5
 Sustainable Agriculture (Praveen Bhardwaj)
11. Increase Profitability and Reduce Risk

 Diversify crops and livestock

 Substitute management for off-farm inputs
 Maximize the use of on-farm resources
 Work with, not against, natural cycles
 Keep machinery, equipment and building costs down
 Add value to crops and livestock
 Try direct marketing.

 Principal of Sustainable Agriculture:

1. No fight with nature, but co-operation with them.
2. Living soil- maintain the soil healthy.
3. Lessen the use of outside and distant Resources.
4. Diversity and adjustment: The diversity of all plants and animal should be preserved
and increased.
5. Durable livelihood: durable lemmatization about how much resource can be utilized by
man in an area.
6. Self- Dependence: The new knowledge and technology should be increase self-
confidence, which help for effecting planning of resources.

 Difference between Sustainable and Modern Agriculture:

Particulars Sustainable agriculture Modern agriculture
Item Sustainable agriculture Modern agriculture
Farm yard manures, compost, vermicompost,
Plant Nutrient green manure, bio- fertilizer and crop rotation are Chemical fertilizers are used.
used.
Cultural methods, crop rotation and biological
Pest control Toxic chemical are used.
methods are used.

6
 Sustainable Agriculture (Praveen Bhardwaj)
High diversity, renewable and biodegradable High productivity and low diverse
Inputs
inputs are used chemicals are used fragile ecology.
Ecology Stable ecology easily broken
The rate of extraction exceeds
The rate of extraction from forests, fisheries, threat of regeneration. Falling of
Use of
underground water source other renewable do not trees, deforestation, overgrazing
resources
exceed the rate of regeneration. and pollution of water - bodied
takes.
Quality of food Food material contain toxic
Food material are safe
material residue.

 FACTORS AFFECTING ECOLOGICAL BALANCE AND SUSTANABILITY

OF AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES

Major factors affecting the ecological balance and sustainability of agricultural resources are:

1. Land/soil related problems

• Soil degradatiom

• Deforestation

• Accelerated soil erosion

• Siltation of reserves

• Wind erosion

2. Irrigation related problems

• Rise in groundwater table & water logging

• Soil salinization & alkalization

• Over- exploitation of groundwater

7
 Sustainable Agriculture (Praveen Bhardwaj)
3. Indiscriminate use of agro-chemicals

• Fertilizer pollution

• Pesticide pollution

4. Environmental pollution

• Greenhouse effect

• Depletion emissions

• Methane emission

• Eutrophication

 Soil Degradation
Soil degradation refers to decline the productive capacity of land due to decline in soil quality
caused through processed induced mainly by human activities. It is a global problem. The Global
Assessment of the Status of Human-induced soil Degradation (GLASOD) was the first
worldwide comparative analysis focusing specifically on soil degradation. Worldwide around
1.96. Billion ha are affected by human induced soil degradation, mainly caused by water and
wind erosion (1094 and 548 million ha respectively). Chemical degradation accounted for 240
million ha, mainly nutrient decline (136 million ha) and salinization (77 million ha), physical
degradation occurred on 83 million ha, mainly as a result of compaction, sealing and crusting. It
is also a very important problem in India, which shares only 2.4% of the world’s land resource
and supports more than 18% of the world’s human population and 15% of livestock population.
Estimates of soil degradation are varied depending upon the criteria used.

The most common direct causes include:

• Deforestation of fragile lands

• Over cutting and grazing of vegetation

• Extension of cultivation on to lands of low capability/potential

• Improper crop rotations

8
 Sustainable Agriculture (Praveen Bhardwaj)
• Unbalanced fertilizer use

• Non-adoption of soil conservation practices

• Inadequacies in planning and management of irrigation resources

• Overdraft of groundwater in excess of capacity to recharge

Water Pollution : Water pollution is the pollution of bodies of water, such as lakes, rivers, seas,
the oceans, as well as groundwater. Agriculture is one of the major sources of water pollution.
The fertilizers given to the crops for better growth are washed into rivers and lakes, which in turn
pollutes the water. Today water may be polluted by nitrates, phosphates, oil, acid rain,
and debris such as sediment, fallen logs and so on. When people and animals drink water from
such rivers, the poisonous chemicals may affect them.

Air Pollution: Air pollution can be defined as the presence of toxic chemicals or compounds
(including those of biological origin) in the air, at levels that pose a health risk. In an even
broader sense, air pollution means the presence of chemicals or compounds in the air which are
usually not present and which lower the quality of the air or cause detrimental changes to the
quality of life (such as the damaging of the ozone layer or causing global warming).

Soil Conservation :- Soil Conservation is the name given to a handful of techniques aimed at
preserving the soil. Soil loss and loss of soil fertility can be traced back to a number of causes
including over-use, erosion, salinization and chemical contamination. Unsustainable subsistence
farming and the slash and burn clearing methods used in some less developed regions, can often
cause deforestation, loss of soil nutrients, erosion on a massive scale and sometimes even
complete desertification.

Methods and Techniques of Soil Conservation

Many different techniques have been invented throughout the years with the aim of preserving
the nutrient level of the soil and preventing erosion.

9
 Sustainable Agriculture (Praveen Bhardwaj)

1. Contour Plowing – Originating in ancient Phoenicia, Contour Plowing involves plowing

grooves into the desired farmland, then planting the crop furrows in the grooves and following
the contours. It a very effective way for farmland on slopes to prevent run off improve crop
yields.

2. Terrace Farming – Terracing is a method of carving multiple, flat leveled areas into hills.
Steps are formed by the terraces which are surrounded by a mud wall to prevent run off and hold
the soil nutrients in the beds. More commonly found in lesser developed nations due to the
difficulty of using mechanized farming equipment in the terraces. Very popular in Asia for
planting of rice.

3. Keyline Design – A more enhanced version of Contour Plowing, maximum water retention is
achieved by taking into account all the watershed properties when making the contour lines. The
Keyline refers to topographic feature linked to water flow. This allows the water run off to run
directly into an existing water channel, and prevent soil erosion caused by the water.

4. Perimeter Runoff Control – This is the practice of planting trees, shrubs and ground cover
around the perimeter of your farmland which impedes surface flows and keeps nutrients in the
farmed soil. Using the grass way is a specialized way of handling perimeter runoff .

5. Windbreaks – Rows of tall trees are used in dense patterns around the farmland and prevents
wind erosion. Evergreen trees can provide year round protection but deciduous trees can be
adequate as long as foliage is apparent during the seasons when the soil is bare.

6. Cover Crops/ Crop Rotation – Cover crops such as turnips and radishes are rotated with
cash crops in order to blanket the soil all year- round and produces green manure the replenishes
nitrogen and other critical nutrients. Using cover crops can also suppress weeds..

7. No till farming – This is the method of growing crops year round without changing the
topography of the soil by tilling or contouring. This technique increases the amount of water that
penetrates the soil and can increase organic matter of the soil which leads to larger yields.

10
 Sustainable Agriculture (Praveen Bhardwaj)

8. Green Manures – Green manures are a few different crops that can be grown, not for produce
or food usage, but grown in order to fertilize the farm land on which it grows. This method can
improve the soil structure and suppresses the growth of weeds.

 Problems related to irrigation water quality

Irrigation water salinity
The main problem related to irrigation water quality is water salinity—which refers to the total
amount of salts dissolved in the water, but it does not indicate which salts are present. High
levels of salts in irrigation water reduce water availability to the crop (because of osmotic
pressure) and cause yield reduction. Above a certain threshold, reduction in crop yield is
proportional to the increase in salinity level. Different crops vary in their tolerance to salinity
and, therefore, have different thresholds and yield reduction rates.

Sodium hazard and irrigation water infiltration

The parameter used to determine the sodium hazard is SAR, or sodium adsorption ratio. This
factor indicates the amount of sodium in the irrigation water in relation to calcium and
magnesium. Calcium and magnesium tend to counter the negative effect of sodium.

High SAR levels might result in a breakdown of soil structure and water infiltration problems.
Soil tends to seal and become hard and compact when it’s too dry.

Ironically, higher salinity reduces the negative effect of sodium on soil structure. When sodium
levels in the soil are high in relation to calcium and magnesium—in other words, when the SAR
is high—flushing the soil with good-quality irrigation water will only exacerbate the problem.

Toxicity of specific ions

Irrigation water quality can be also determined by the toxicity of specific ions. The difference
between a salinity problem and a toxicity problem is that toxicity occurs within the plant itself,
as a result of the accumulation of a specific ion in the leaves. The most common ions that cause a
toxicity problem are chloride, sodium and boron. As they do with salinity levels, crops differ in
their sensitivity to these ions.

11
 Sustainable Agriculture (Praveen Bhardwaj)
Special attention should be given to boron levels because toxicity occurs at very low
concentrations, even though boron is an essential plant nutrient—toxic levels of even a single ion
in irrigation water might make the water unsuitable.

There are some management practices that can help reduce the damage, however. These
practices include proper leaching, increasing the frequency of irrigations, avoiding overhead
irrigation, avoiding the use of fertilizers containing chloride or boron, and selecting the right
crops.

Alkalinity and pH

Alkalinity is the sum of the amounts of bicarbonates (HCO3-), carbonates (CO32-) and
hydroxide (OH-) in water. It is expressed as mg/l or meq/l CaCO3. Alkalinity buffers the water
against sudden changes in pH. If the alkalinity is too low, any addition of acidic fertilizers will
immediately lower the pH. In container plants and hydroponics, ions released by plant roots may
also rapidly change the pH if alkalinity is low.

Managing irrigation water quality problems

As mentioned earlier, SAR (sodium adsorption ratio) is an irrigation water parameter used to
predict problems of water infiltration into soil. SAR is determined as:

Apart from water shortage—which is a result of water infiltration problems—some other related
problems might occur as well; for example, weed growth, diseases, poor aeration, poor
germination of seeds or root rot.

Various measures can be taken to overcome water infiltration problems that are related to water
quality, including reducing the SAR of the water supply, cultivation and tillage, the addition of
organic residues, irrigation management, and water or soil amendments.

Soil amendments and irrigation water quality

The purpose of soil amendments is to counter the effect of sodium by increasing the soluble
calcium content or by increasing the salinity of the irrigation water.

Gypsum and other calcium-supplying materials

12
 Sustainable Agriculture (Praveen Bhardwaj)
Gypsum is the most commonly used soil amendment. Since water infiltration problems caused
by sodium affect mainly the upper few centimeters of soil, repeated small applications of
gypsum—incorporated at lower rates into a shallow depth—are preferred over a single large
application. If the salinity of the irrigation water is low (EC<0.5 ds/m), gypsum can be added to
the irrigation water at rates of one to four meq/l of dissolved calcium.

Blending irrigation water sources

Water infiltration can be improved either by increasing irrigation water salinity or by reducing
the SAR. By diluting the irrigation water source with water having a lower sodium
concentration, the SAR of the irrigation water is reduced, even if calcium and magnesium
concentrations are higher.

Management of soil and irrigation water salinity

When salts build up in soil or in the growing medium, their concentration might become
excessive. Salts are added to soil via irrigation water and with applied fertilizers. Applying more
water than is needed by the crop leaches the salt below the root zone, deeper into the soil or out
of the growing medium (when growing container plants). It is important to know how much to
leach and when. The leaching requirement can be estimated from the following equation:

LR = ECw/ [5*ECe - ECw)]

Where LR is the minimum leaching requirement for the crop, ECw is the electrical conductivity
of the irrigation water in ds/m (irrigation water salinity) and ECe is the soil EC tolerated by the
crop, measured in a saturated soil extract.

The total irrigation water amount that has to be applied to meet both crop demand and your
leaching requirement can be estimated from the equation:

AW = ET/ (1-LR)

Where AW is the amount of irrigation water that has to be applied, ET is the crop water demand
and LR is the calculated leaching requirement. For example:

Crop water demand - 30m3/ha/day

13
 Sustainable Agriculture (Praveen Bhardwaj)
ECe = 2.5 ds/m, ECw = 1.2 ds/m

LR = 1.2/(5*2.5-1.2) = 0.1

AW = 30/(1-0.1) = 33.33 m3/ha/day

Irrigation Water Quality

Both irrigation water quality and proper irrigation management are critical to successful crop
production. The quality of irrigation water might affect both crop yields and the physical
condition of the soil, even if all other conditions and cultural practices are favorable. In addition,
different crops require different irrigation water qualities.

This means that testing irrigation water prior to selecting a site and the crops to be grown is
critical. The quality of some water sources might change significantly with time or during certain
periods—like dry or rainy seasons—so it is recommended to have more than one sample taken,
at different time periods.

The parameters that determine irrigation water quality are divided into three categories:
chemical, physical and biological. In this article the chemical properties of irrigation water will
be discussed.

The chemical characteristics of irrigation water refer to the content of salts in the water as well as
to parameters derived from the composition of salts in the water—parameters such as EC/TDS
(electrical conductivity/ total dissolved solids), SAR (sodium adsorption ratio), alkalinity and
hardness. The primary natural source of salts in irrigation water is weathering of rocks and
minerals. Other secondary sources include atmospheric deposition of oceanic salts (salts in
rainwater), saline water from rising groundwater and the intrusion of sea water into groundwater
aquifers. Fertilizer chemicals that leach to water sources might also affect irrigation water
quality.

Waste land and Their Development

Waste land Land is considered "degraded" when its productivity is diminished. This type of
land is that land which is presently lying unused or which is not being used to its optimum

14
 Sustainable Agriculture (Praveen Bhardwaj)
potential due to some constraints. Land degradation caused by agriculture takes many forms and
has many causes. Some of the most important types of land degradation are:

 Degradation related to overgrazing by livestock.

 Degradation related to soil erosion.

 Degradation attributable to soil salinization.

 Degradation attributable to waterlogging.

Classification of waste land:

National wastelands development board classifies wastelands into two categories:

Categories of Wastelands in India

Table-1

Category Area (in sq.Kms.)

Snow Covered/Glacial 55788.49
Barren Rocky/Sheet Rock 64584.77
Sands-inland/coastal 50021.65

15
 Sustainable Agriculture (Praveen Bhardwaj)
Land affected by salinity/alkalinity 20477.38
Gullied/or ravenous land 20553.35
Upland with or without scrub 194014.29
Water logged & Marshy 16568.45
Steep sloping area 7656.29
Shifting cultivation land 35142.20
Mining/Industrial Wastelands 1252.13
Degraded/pastures/grazing land 25978.91
Under utilized/degraded notified forest land 140652.31
Degraded land under plantation crop 5828.09
Grand Total: 638518.31 sq.kms

Choice of Plant Species for Waste land Management:

Salt affected waste land have high content of soluble salt usually more than 0.2%, impossible for
the plant to absorb water from saline soils. The soil pH value is generally between 7.3 and 8.5.

Plant species used for remediation:

 Suaeda salsa

 Kalidium folium

 Tetragonia tetragonioides

 Sesuvium portulacastrum

 Arthrocnemum indicum

 Suaeda frutic

 S. portulacastrum

 Suaeda maritime

 Sesuvium portulacastrum

 Atriplex etc

16
 Sustainable Agriculture (Praveen Bhardwaj)
The above plants species analyzes the viability of using phytoremediation for salt affected soils
and explores the remedial mechanisms involved.

Mining/Industrial waste land: Surface mining (sometimes called quarrying or opencast mining)
requires the removal of topsoil (the fertile layer of soil and organic matter that is particularly
valuable for agriculture) to get at the valuable rocks below. Most metals, for example, occur in
rocky mixtures called ores, from which the valuable elements have to be extracted by chemical,
electrical, or other processes. That leaves behind waste products and the chemicals used to process
them, which historically were simply dumped back on the land. Since all the waste was left in one
place, the concentration of pollution often became dangerously high. Industrial activity generate
waste which includes any material that is rendered useless during a manufacturing process such as
chemical solvents, paints, sandpaper, paper products, industrial by-products, metals, and
radioactive wastes

Some more Plant species used for phytoremediation of contaminats present in wasteland :

Grasses/Legum
es
Contaminant Process Comments
Species/Comm
on Name
Agropyron
smithii
Perennial grass used
in pastures / lawns;
shown in studies to
Hydrocarbons Rhizodegradation enhance degradation
of TPH and PAHs in
soils (McCutcheon &
Schnoor, 2003).
Western wheat
grass
Perennial A.
castellana has been
Agrostis
Metals Hyper accumulation shown to accumulate
castellana
As, Pb, Zn, Mn and
Al.

17
 Sustainable Agriculture (Praveen Bhardwaj)

Colonial bent
grass
Bouteloua
gracilis Blue Used for low-water
use lawn and pasture
grass. Has shown
promise in grass
Hydrocarbons Rhizodegradation
mixes to enhance
degradation of PAHs
in soils (McCutcheon
& Schnoor, 2003).
gamma grass
Buchloe Perennial grass; low
dactyloides maintenance, drought
tolerant lawn
requiring little/no
Rhizodegradation/ mowing. In studies
Hydrocarbons
Accumulation has been shown to
reduce TPH and
PAHs in soil
(McCutcheon &
Buffalo grass Schnoor,2003)
Tufted perennial,
white flowers. A
Northwest (NW)
Cerastium native, a recent study
arvense on Vashon Island
indicated uptake of
cadmium ( Institute
for
Cadmium Uptake/Accumulation
EnvironmentalResear
ch and Education,
2003). Additional
Field chickweed varieties
chickweed found in the NW
include C.
beringianum ( Bering
chickweed ) and C. fi

18
 Sustainable Agriculture (Praveen Bhardwaj)
scherianum ( Fisher’s
chickweed).
A somewhat
succulent annual
with white or pink fl
Claytonia owers. Also known
perfoliata as Montia perfoliata.
A smaller
attractivevariety is
Montia spathulata. A
Cadmium Uptake/Accumulation
recent study on
Vashon Island
indicated uptake and
accumulation of
Miner’s lettuce cadmium (Institute
for Environmental
Research and
Education, 2003).
Lawn grass;
Cynodon minimum
dactylon maintenance but
needs mowing and
can be invasive. In
Rhizodegradation/Accumulati
Hydrocarbons studies where mixed
on
with other grasses,it
has reduced TPH and
PAHs in soils
Bermuda grass (McCutcheon &
Schnoor, 2003).
Elymus
Canadensis In combination with
other grasses, was
shown to reduce
Rhizodegradation/Accumulati PAHs in soils
Hydrocarbon
on (McCutcheon &
Schnoor, 2003). E.
mollis is a NW
Canadian wild native wild rye
rye
Introduced perennial
Festuca Rhizodegradation/Phytoextrac grass common in the
Pyrene, PAHs
arundinacea tion NW; studies have
shown enhanced

19
 Sustainable Agriculture (Praveen Bhardwaj)
degradation of
recalcitrant PAHs
(Mcoutcheon, 2003)

Tall fescue
Festuca rubra Perennial grass often
used in lawn mixes;
Studies have shown
enhanced
Hydrocarbons Rhizodegradation
degradation of TPH
and PAHs
(McCutcheon &
Red fescue Schnoor, 2003).
Lolium perenne
Perennial grass
shown to uptake
nutrients and to
Hydrocarbons/Nutrie signifi cantly
Rhizodegradation/Uptake
nts enhance degradation
of TPH and PAHs in
soils (McCutcheon &
English Schnoor, 2003).
ryegrass
Nitrogen fixing
legume capable of
growth in acidic soils
with low nutrient
availability. A recent
Lupinus albus study indicated an
ability to take up
arsenic, primarily
stored in the root
Arsenic Rhizoaccumulation
structure (Esteban,
Vazquez & Carpena,
2003). A number of
White lupin lupine varieties are
native to the NW,
including: Lupinus
arcticus (Artic
lupine), L. littoralis
(Seashore lupin), L.

20
 Sustainable Agriculture (Praveen Bhardwaj)
nootkatensis (Nootka
lupine), and L.
polyphyllus (Large-
leaved lupine).
An introduced
European annual
Lotus herb; when mixed
corniculatus with grasses was
shown to reduce
TPH and PAHs in
soils (McCutcheon &
Rhizodegradation/Accumulati
Hydrocarbon Schnoor, 2003). This
on
plant is generally not
recommended for
introduction into
Birds-foot constructed wetlands
trefoi of the Puget Sound
region (Azous &
Horner, 2001).

Wasteland Development Schemes: Till the sixth five year plan, no specific programme of
wasteland development was taken up. It is only in1985 with establishment of NWDB that the
problem of wasteland development received a new thrust. With the setting up of NWDB, a
number of new schemes were initiated to secure people‘s participation, besides continuation of
ongoing afforestation schemes.

These are: Grants-in-aid to voluntary agencies:

 Decentralized People’s nurseries

 Silvipasture farms

 Seed development

 Area oriented fuel wood and fodder projects

 Ariel seeding programme

 Plantation of minor forest produce

 Margin money schemes

 Rural employment schem.

21
 Sustainable Agriculture (Praveen Bhardwaj)
Major Ongoing Project;

IWDP (Integrated wasteland development Project) Scheme-This scheme is under implementation

since 1989-90, and has come to this Department along with the National Wastelands Development
Board. The development of non-forest wastelands is taken up under this Scheme. The scheme
provides for the development of an entire micro watershed in an holistic manner rather than
piecemeal treatment in sporadic patches.. The thrust of the scheme continues to be on development
of wastelands.

Objectives:

The basic objective of this scheme is an integrated wastelands development based on

village/micro watershed plans. These plans are prepared after taking into consideration the land
capability, site condition and local needs of the people. The scheme also aims at rural
employment besides enhancing the contents of people's participation in the wastelands
development programmes at all stages, which is ensured by providing modalities for equitable
and sustainable sharing of benefits and usufructs arising from such projects.

Activities: The major activities taken up under the scheme are:

 In situ soil and moisture conservation measures like terracing, bunding, trenching, vegetative
barriers and drainage line treatment.

 Planting and sowing of multi-purpose trees, shrubs, grasses, legumes and pasture land
development.

 Encouraging natural regeneration.

 Promotion of agro-forestry & horticulture.

 Wood substitution and fuel wood conservation measures.

 Awareness raising, training & extension.

 Encouraging people's participation through community organization and capacity building.

 Drainage Line treatment by vegetative and engineering structures.

 Development of small water Harvesting Structures.

22
 Sustainable Agriculture (Praveen Bhardwaj)
 Afforestation of degraded forest and non forest wasteland.

 Development and conservation of common Property Resources.

Modified strategies and suggestions:

Keeping in view the lesson learnt the following suggestions need to be considered while revising
strategy.

 Govt. departments must view afforestation as a definite support to agriculture, e.g. shelterbelts,
agro forestry, mixed plantation etc.

 People’s involvement can be mobilized by understanding the community structure and their
needs.

 Sufficient funds should be earmarked and made available to finance projects aimed at
integrated rural resource management which are multi disciplinary in nature at every stages.

 Banks like NABARD should establish a separate line of credit for afforestation projects.

 Suitable action plan should be taken up for integrated development of wastelands for
ecological restoration and to meet essential needs of fuel wood, fodder and timber for local
community.

 The lab to land programme should seek to extensively popularize transfer of available
technologies.

 All development projects e.g. mining, road, irrigation and power etc. which by their very
nature either create wastelands or degraded local environment should earmark a budget
provision in the project estimates for reclaiming such wastelands or regenerating natural
vegetation so damaged.

LEIA- Low External Input Sustainable Agriculture (LEISA) is receiving increased attention, both
as a sustainable alternative to Green Revolution-like strategies making intensive use of external
inputs, and as a strategy of sustainable agriculture in resource-poor environments where no or very
few external inputs are used. The evaluation of LEISA field-experiences in the Philippines and in
Ghana shows that the potential of LEISA to improve ecological and/or socioeconomic
sustainability depends on site-specific factors in the first place. In areas with a high production

23
 Sustainable Agriculture (Praveen Bhardwaj)
potential, LEISA can simultaneously improve ecological sustainability and farmers'
socioeconomic conditions by reduced use of external inputs. In areas with a low production
potential, LEISA can stabilize and restore the carrying capacity, but generally has limited potential
to improve socioeconomic conditions for growing populations, and an increased production may
also result from a further depletion of natural resources, and by a limited number of farmers. Other
factors that can influence the potential and the applicability of LEISA are the production dip and
the rehabilitation period involved, high labour requirements, land ownership aspects, gender
issues, constraints to implement a participatory technology development approach,
macroeconomic aspects, government influences and information dissemination. Together with the
site-specific conditions, these aspects should be considered in planning and evaluation of LEISA
techniques.

24