Rice Maize Systems In Asia Current Situation And Potential

Rice-maize (R-M) cropping systems have emerged in recent years on 3.5 million hectares in Asia in response to the increasing demand from a rapidly expanding human population for rice and livestock products. They are rapidly spreading in southern and northeastern India and Bangladesh, driven by the rising demand for maize by the poultry and fish sectors and the tightening world export-import markets. The recent development of short-duration rice varieties and maize hybrids with improved drought tolerance is also providing opportunities for the expansion of R-M systems into areas of South Asia with insufficient irrigation or rain for continuous rice cultivation. Agroecologically, R-M systems have the potential to expand into broad climatic zones across Asia. Because strong economic multipliers exist between food production and feed and livestock production, more diversified cropping systems are also likely to become a key engine for economic growth in rural areas of Asia. This will contribute to more diversified diets, improved human nutrition, reduced poverty, and greater investment in other aspects of quality of life such as education and health care. R-M systems will also provide new business opportunities for the local agribusiness sector, including hybrid seed production and marketing, the fertilizer sector, the agricultural machinery sector, and the grain marketing and livestock feed-processing sector. Recognizing the importance of diversifying cropping systems in Asia and the need for system-level research to support new opportunities for agricultural development, IRRI and CIMMYT scientists, in collaboration with NARES partners, have recently begun work on R-M systems in many countries of Asia. This report contains information on a strategic assessment of R-M systems for 29 selected sites representing diverse soils, climate, and agroecosystems across nine countries in Asia (Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam). Conducted jointly by IRRI and CIMMYT, the process involves regional and site-level biophysical assessment, supported by socioeconomic evaluation using economic data at the regional level and some microeconomic data. Biophysical assessment includes agroecosystem characterization of R-M systems, analysis of historical daily climatic data, and regional-level prediction of yield potential for the 29 sites. The study then provides a detailed analysis of 10 selected sites to understand existing cropping systems, identify alternative potential systems, and explore measures to optimize these. The Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA), a project funded by the Gates Foundation and USAID in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, was launched in early 2009. It now provides an overall strategy and a new umbrella for contributing new science and technologies to accelerate short- and long-term cereal production growth in South Asia's most important grain baskets. It builds on technologies developed and lessons learned from the Rice-Wheat Consortium (RWC) and many other investments in agricultural R & D by both the public and private sector. Through creating and facilitating innovative and effective public-/private-sector partnerships in key "hubs" in South Asia. CSISA will boost the deployment of existing varieties, hybrids, crop- and aquaculture-related management technologies, and market information. The results from the strategic assessment of R-M systems are already being used in several CSISA hubs.

This book explains how a former net food exporting Nepal has become a net food importing country due to a lack of an integrated system-wide approach to planning and governance of agriculture and natural resources. It demonstrates how various components of the food system, such as agronomy, agrobiodiversity, plant health, post-harvest management, livestock and fisheries, and socio-economics including marketing and trade, have been managed in sectoral silos, crippling the very foundations of food systems innovations. The book also explores ways to tackle climate change impacts while considering gender, social equity, conservation agriculture practices, and crop modeling as cross-cutting themes. This book utilizes Nepal as a case study in relation to wider questions of food security and livelihoods facing South Asia and synthesizes lessons that are relevant to the Global South where countries are struggling to harmonize and integrate natural resources management for sustainable and effective food security outcomes. As such, it significantly contributes to the knowledge toward achieving various United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Advances in Agronomy continues to be recognized as a leading reference and a first-rate source for the latest research in agronomy. As always, the subjects covered are varied and exemplary of the myriad of subject matter dealt with by this long-running serial. Maintains the highest impact factor among serial publications in agriculture Presents timely reviews on important agronomy issues Enjoys a long-standing reputation for excellence in the field

Comprised of three sections, this covers the nutrient dynamics and productivity of global agroecosystems. It focuses on the major aspects that make up agroecosystems, such as soils, climate, crops, nutrient dynamics, and productivity. It introduces agroeocsystems and describes global soil types that support vast crop belts, then deals with the principles that drive crop growth, nutrient dynamics and ecosystematic functions within any agroecosystem. It also details the influence of agronomic practices and factors such as soil microbes, organic matter, crop genetic nature, irrigation, weeds, and cropping systems that affect productivity of agroecosystems.

Conservation agriculture—consisting of four components including permanent soil cover, minimum soil disturbance, diversified crop rotations and integrated weed management—is considered the principal pathway to sustainable agriculture and the conservation of natural resources and the environment. Leading researchers in the field describe the basic principles of conservation agriculture, and synthesize recent advances and developments in conservation agriculture research. This book is a ready reference on conservation agriculture and reinforces the understanding for its utilization to develop environmentally sustainable and profitable food production systems. The book describes various elements of conservation agriculture; highlights the associated breeding and modeling efforts; analyses the experiences and challenges in conservation agriculture in different regions of the world; and proposes some pragmatic options and new areas of research in this very important area of agriculture.

The book offers a rich toolkit of relevant, adoptable ecosystem-based practices that can help the world's 500 million smallholder farm families achieve higher productivity, profitability and resource-use efficiency while enhancing natural capital.