Vol. 11, Special Issue 7 (2022)

Author(s):
Jyoti Bala and Vivek Singh

Abstract:
Green Revolution has led to an improvement in the yield of crops manifolds but the sustainability in yield and soil quality is still a question. It has been reported since past years that conventional agricultural practices, being intensive are causing a decline in soil organic carbon, increase in cost of production, deterioration of natural resources and thus, affecting the crop yields. Conservation agriculture (CA) based resource conservation technologies (RCTs) being centred on three interrelated principles of no or minimum soil disturbance, permanent soil cover through cover crops or crop residues, and crop species diversification, in combination with good integrated crop and production management practices, provide a good scope for reducing the cost of production, saving water and nutrients, increment in yield of crops and crop diversification, improving the efficient use of natural resources and therefore, benefiting the environment and improved livelihood and food security. This review overviews the CA principles, its grounds, constraints in its adoption by the farmers and what can be done to remove the constraints.