Sustainable agriculture ensures food security, economic returns to farmers, safe to environment and socially acceptable. But how to design sustainable cropping systems for different regions with different soil and water resources is a big question. What steps have to taken or what things have to be ensured to make the systems sustainable?
The approach to sustainable cropping systems involves choosing cropping systems for improved yields, greater resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses, enhanced resource use efficiency (water,nutrients) and profitability, improved soil health and enhanced biodiversity. The opportunities for sustainable cropping systems lies in designing appropriate farming systems, crop rotations, residue management, organic amendments use, inclusion of cover crops and efficient use of water, and nutrients.
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@Xiaoshun Quin,thank you for your interest and response. For sustainable cropping systems, soil- crop /cropping system is important criterion in any cropping environment. But in many situations the water availability, the requirements for the crop produce and cost or economic prices for the produce will decide the crop/ crops grown. Provision of water and nutrients efficiently and economically and protecting crops through environmentally sound way is big challenge.Using or recycling the on farm and off-farm resources efficiently in the cropping systems is both an opportunity and challenge.
The first approach is do a needs assessment that should focus on challenges and opportunities available in a particular area for achieving sustainable cropping system. Then prioritize/rank the key issues that could be implemented to lead to the sustainable cropping systems. Focus group discussions with concerned farmers could be used to dig out the information from farmers in small groups of 8-12 with gender consideration.
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