I. simultaneous achievement of increased agricultural
productivity and enhancement of natural capital
and ecosystem services;
II. higher rates of efficiency in the use of key inputs
including water, nutrients, pesticides, energy,
land and labour;
III. use of managed and natural biodiversity to build
system resilience to abiotic, biotic and economic
stresses (FAO, 2011).Successful approaches to SCPI will be built on the
three principles listed above and implemented
using a range of management practices and tech-
nologies including:
I. conservation agriculture – minimum soil disturbance
and soil cover;
II. species diversification – use of high-yielding
adapted varieties from good seed;
III. integrated plant nutrient management or IPNM
based on healthy soils;
IV. Integrated Pest Management or IPM; and
V. efficient water management.The appropriate mix of these management practices
and technologies depends on local needs and
conditions; given system complexity one size does
not fit all. They will need to be applied in a comple-
mentary, timely and efficient manner in order to
offer farmers appropriate combinations of practices
to choose from and adapt.4.2.1 Conservation Agriculture (CA)
CA can be described in terms of minimum mechan-
ical soil disturbance, permanent organic cover and
diversified crop rotations. Such practices can cre-
ate stable living conditions for micro- and macro-
organisms, providing a host of natural mechanisms
supporting the growth of crops, which result in
significant efficiency gains and decreasing needs for
farm inputs, in particular power, time, labour (at
least 25% less), fertilizer (30–50% less), agrochem-
icals (20% less pesticides) and water (28% less).Furthermore, in many environments, soil erosionis
reduced to below the soil regeneration level or
avoided altogether and water resources are re-
stored in quality and quantity to levels that preceded
putting the land under intensive agriculture.Sustainable rice-wheat production
Sustainable productivity in rice-wheat farming
systems was pioneered on the Indo-Gangetic Plain
of Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan by the
Rice-Wheat Consortium, an initiative of the CGIAR
and national agriculture research centres. It was
launched in the 1 990 s in response to evidence of a
plateau in crop productivity, loss of soil organic matter
and receding groundwater tables (Joshiet al., 2010).The system involves the planting of wheat after rice
using a tractor-drawn seed drill, which seeds
directly into unploughed fields with a single pass.
Zero tillage wheat provides immediate, identifiable
and demonstrable economic benefits. It permits
earlier planting, helps control weeds and has signifi-
cant resource conservation benefits, including reduced
use of diesel fuel and irrigation water. Cost savings
are estimated at US$52 per hectare, primarily
owing to a drastic reduction in tractor time and fuel
for land preparation and wheat establishment.
Some 6 20 000 farmers on 1. 8 million ha of the Indo-
Gangetic Plain have adopted the system, with
average income gains of US$180 to US$340 per
household. Replicating the approach elsewhere will
require on-farm adaptive and participatory research
and development, links between farmers and
technology suppliers and, above all, policy support
to encourage new practices (including temporary
financial incentives) (IFPRI, 2010 ; FAO, 2011).4.2.2 Crops and varieties well adapted to local
conditions
Adopting high-yielding varieties that best fit the
cropping system and switching to crops more tolerant
to diseases, pests and environmental stresses70