Sustainable Agriculture And The International Rice Wheat System

Addressing a topic of major importance to the maintenance of world food supplies, this reference identifies knowledge gaps, defines priorities, and formulates recommendations for the improvement of the rice-wheat farming system. The book reveals new systems of rice intensification and management and illustrates the application of no-till and conser

Sustainability of post-green revolution agriculture; Long-term sustainability of the tropical and subtropical rice-wheat system; Productivity trends in intensive rice-wheat cropping systems in Asia; Sustainability of the rice-wheat system in Pakistan's Punjab; Soil physical effects of puddling in rice-wheat cropping systems; Technology options for rice in the rice-wheat system in South Asia; Resource-conserving technologies for wheat in the rice-wheat system; Managing crop residues in the rice-wheat system; Prospects for permanent beds for the rice-wheat system; The researcher-farmer interface in rice-wheat systems.

The lives of more than a billion people depend on the answer! This valuable book surveys the problems of the rice-wheat cropping system practiced on the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP). Introduced at the time of the Green Revolution, it transformed agriculture and produced thirty years of bumper crops. The Rice-Wheat Cropping System of South Asia: Efficient Production Management offers scientific analysis of the aftereffects of this intense cropping. The Rice-Wheat Cropping System of South Asia: Efficient Production Management focuses on the questions of soil depletion, pest infestation, and soil alkalinity as elements of declining productivity. Along with clear charts, maps, and graphs, it provides practical suggestions for improving and maintaining the productivity of this irreplaceable farmland. The Rice-Wheat Cropping System of South Asia looks at the problems that have arisen for both the rice and wheat phases, including: depletion of micronutrients degradation of major nutrients from unbalanced fertilization practices infestations of nematodes increasing soil alkalinity as a result of irrigation It also suggests solutions for maintaining productivity, including: integrated pest management sustainable agriculture micronutrient fertilizers This informative book and its companion volume, The Rice-Wheat Cropping System of South Asia: Trends, Constraints, Productivity and Policy, are essential planning tools for agronomists, policymakers, and agroeconomists. It is also a useful reference for anyone interested in the problems of famine and intensive cropping not only in South Asia but in the world.

FAO’s best-selling 2011 publication, Save and Grow, proposed a new paradigm of agriculture, one that is both highly productive and environmentally sustainable. This new book looks at the application of “Save and Grow” practices and technologies to production of the world’s key food security crops – maize, rice and wheat. With examples drawn from developing countries worldwide, it shows how eco-friendly farming systems are helping smallholder producers to boost cereal yields, improve their incomes and livelihoods, conserve natural resources, reduce negative impacts on the environment, and build resilience to climate change. The book will be a valuable reference for policymakers and development practitioners guiding the transition to sustainable food and agriculture.