Renovating Conservation Agriculture: Management and Future Prospects

Conventional farming is resource exhaustive and the culprit of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and soil degradation. Renovating conventional farming to conservation agriculture by tipping the scales in favour of carbon inputs compared to carbon outputs, systems based on minimal tillage, residue recycling, and crop variety for resource conservation and sustainable agriculture enhance soil carbon regeneration and offer mitigation to GHG emissions. This chapter highlights the critical practices and customized approaches for different principles of CA for different agro-ecologies and climates. This synthesis aims to identify the key drivers and indicators of renovation from conventional farming to conservation agriculture systems that improve system productivity, resource use efficiency, profitability and reducing environmental footprints. Networking and linkages of diverse players and stakeholders to develop a roadmap holistically with strategies and framework for adoption and scaling to targeted geographies through various schemes and policies should be emphasized. Transitioning requires handholding and capacity building of the farmers to drive the change for sustainable agriculture in rice-based agro-ecologies of Indo-Gangetic plains of India, as these practices are knowledge intensive.