Keeping in view the natural resource base (poor nutrient status and water scarcity), soil management issues of the region, namely, limited use of organic sources, high losses of applied nutrients, imbalanced/under application of nutrients, low nutrient use efficiency and sub-optimal plant protection measures, the long-time tested traditional knowledge of farmers need to be dovetailed with modern scientific technologies. The traditional knowledge of cattle dung use, urea coating with neem, mahua cakes, green manuring, use of crop residues and farm refuse, etc., needs to be blended with modern scientific methods such as NADEP/vermicomposting of cattle dung before application, use of neem-coated urea, integration of biofertilizers in plant nutrient system and intercropping. Traditional water storage, conservation and management systems such as Haveli, Pat, and local water-lifting devices have to be revived and blended with more efficient water management systems such as check dams with piped water application, lifting water with suitable electric pumps, using modern efficient irrigation methods such as sprinklers and drip, mulching, conservation agriculture, contour bunding and contour farming. Properly made FYM and vermicomposts, when applied to soil, may decrease the use of market-purchased NPK and micronutrient fertilizers up to Rs. 3500–4200/ha besides improving soil health, adding soil carbon (3500–3000 kg/ha) and raising its water-holding capacity. The use of neem-coated urea can save national currency worth Rs. 1700 crore/year. Similarly, the use of farm refuse and residues as mulches is capable of saving one irrigation, increasing crop yields by 5–10%, raising water use efficiency by 7–9%, and adding 1650–2600 kg of carbon/ha upon decomposition. The practice of conservation agriculture may improve crop yield (by 9–36.7%), rainwater productivity (by 4–25%), water infiltration rate (by 53.2–56.8%), soil moisture content (by 1.8–46.8%) and available soil N, P and K (by 2.7–41.6, 0.6–64.8 and 6.1–26.2%, respectively) and bring additional benefits of Rs. 11,000–16,000/ha over conventional agriculture, besides saving billions of national currency lost due to crop residue burning. Contour farming may reduce the runoff and soil losses by 14–25% and 18–32%, respectively. Indigenous plant protection measures can save Rs. 1500–7500/ha, besides protecting soil, plant, animal, human health and the environment.