IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v8y2016i6p565-d72282.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Soil Conservation Issues in India

Author

Listed:
  • Ranjan Bhattacharyya

    (ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India)

  • Birendra Nath Ghosh

    (ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Dehradun 248195, India)

  • Pradeep Dogra

    (ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Dehradun 248195, India)

  • Prasanta Kumar Mishra

    (ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Dehradun 248195, India)

  • Priyabrata Santra

    (ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur Rajasthan 342003, India)

  • Suresh Kumar

    (ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur Rajasthan 342003, India)

  • Michael Augustine Fullen

    (Faculty of Science and Engineering, The University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton WV1 1LY, UK)

  • Uttam Kumar Mandal

    (ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Regional Research Station, Canning Town, West Bengal 743 329, India)

  • Kokkuvayil Sankaranarayanan Anil

    (ICAR-National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Bangalore Regional Center, Bangalore 560024, India)

  • Manickam Lalitha

    (ICAR-National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Bangalore Regional Center, Bangalore 560024, India)

  • Dibyendu Sarkar

    (Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia, West Bengal 741252, India)

  • Dibyendu Mukhopadhyay

    (Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Cooch Behar 736165, India)

  • Krishnendu Das

    (National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Kolkata Regional Centre, Kolkata 700091, India)

  • Madan Pal

    (ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India)

  • Rajbir Yadav

    (ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India)

  • Ved Prakash Chaudhary

    (ICAR-Indian Institute of Farming System Research, Modipuram 250110, India)

  • Brajendra Parmar

    (ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad 500030, India)

Abstract

Despite years of study and substantial investment in remediation and prevention, soil erosion continues to be a major environmental problem with regard to land use in India and elsewhere around the world. Furthermore, changing climate and/or weather patterns are exacerbating the problem. Our objective was to review past and current soil conservation programmes in India to better understand how production-, environmental-, social-, economic- and policy-related issues have affected soil and water conservation and the incentives needed to address the most critical problems. We found that to achieve success in soil and water conservation policies, institutions and operations must be co-ordinated using a holistic approach. Watershed programmes have been shown to be one of the most effective strategies for bringing socio-economic change to different parts of India. Within both dryland and rainfed areas, watershed management has quietly revolutionized agriculture by aligning various sectors through technological soil and water conservation interventions and land-use diversification. Significant results associated with various watershed-scale soil and water conservation programmes and interventions that were effective for reducing land degradation and improving productivity in different parts of the country are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Ranjan Bhattacharyya & Birendra Nath Ghosh & Pradeep Dogra & Prasanta Kumar Mishra & Priyabrata Santra & Suresh Kumar & Michael Augustine Fullen & Uttam Kumar Mandal & Kokkuvayil Sankaranarayanan Anil, 2016. "Soil Conservation Issues in India," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(6), pages 1-37, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:8:y:2016:i:6:p:565-:d:72282
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/6/565/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/6/565/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wani, S. P. & Rockstrom, J. & Oweis, T., 2009. "Rainfed agriculture: unlocking the potential," IWMI Books, Reports H042126, International Water Management Institute.
    2. Joshi, P. K. & Pangare, V. & Shiferaw, B. & Wani, S. P. & Bouma, Jetske & Scott, Christopher, 2004. "Socioeconomic and policy research on watershed management in India: synthesis of past experiences and needs for future research," IWMI Research Reports H035345, International Water Management Institute.
    3. Wani, S. P. & Rockstrom, J. & Oweis, T., 2009. "Rainfed agriculture: unlocking the potential," IWMI Books, Reports H041989, International Water Management Institute.
    4. Joshi, P. K. & Jha, A. K. & Wani, S. P. & Joshi, L. & Shiyani, R. L., 2005. "Meta-analysis to assess impact of watershed program and people’s participation," IWMI Research Reports H037467, International Water Management Institute.
    5. Ranjan Bhattacharyya & Birendra Nath Ghosh & Prasanta Kumar Mishra & Biswapati Mandal & Cherukumalli Srinivasa Rao & Dibyendu Sarkar & Krishnendu Das & Kokkuvayil Sankaranarayanan Anil & Manickam Lali, 2015. "Soil Degradation in India: Challenges and Potential Solutions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(4), pages 1-43, March.
    6. Bhattacharyya, R. & Kundu, S. & Pandey, S.C. & Singh, K.P. & Gupta, H.S., 2008. "Tillage and irrigation effects on crop yields and soil properties under the rice-wheat system in the Indian Himalayas," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 95(9), pages 993-1002, September.
    7. Kerr, John, 2002. "Watershed Development, Environmental Services, and Poverty Alleviation in India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 30(8), pages 1387-1400, August.
    8. Kumar, D. Suresh & Palanisami, K., 2009. "An Economic Inquiry into Collective Action and Household Behaviour in Watershed Management," Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics, Indian Society of Agricultural Economics, vol. 64(1), pages 1-15.
    9. ., 2013. "Meeting the climate change challenge," Chapters, in: Strategic Public Private Partnerships, chapter 10, pages 111-122, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    10. Woodruff, N. P. & Lyles, Leon & Siddoway, F. H. & Fryrear, D. W., 1972. "How to Control Wind Erosion," Agricultural Information Bulletins 309209, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    11. Singh, P. & Aggarwal, P. K. & Bhatia, V. S. & Murty, M. V. R. & Pala, M. & Oweis, T. & Benli, B. & Rao, K. P. C. & Wani, S. P., 2009. "Yield gap analysis: modelling of achievable yields at farm level," IWMI Books, Reports H041995, International Water Management Institute.
    12. Ladha, J.K. & Yadvinder-Singh & Erenstein, O. & Hardy, B. (ed.), 2009. "Integrated Crop and Resource Management in the Rice-Wheat System of South Asia," IRRI Books, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), number 164458.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Anantha, K.H. & Garg, Kaushal K. & Barron, Jennie & Dixit, Sreenath & Venkataradha, A. & Singh, Ramesh & Whitbread, Anthony M., 2021. "Impact of best management practices on sustainable crop production and climate resilience in smallholder farming systems of South Asia," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 194(C).
    2. Bin Huang & Zaijian Yuan & Mingguo Zheng & Yishan Liao & Kim Loi Nguyen & Thi Hong Nguyen & Samran Sombatpanit & Dingqiang Li, 2022. "Soil and Water Conservation Techniques in Tropical and Subtropical Asia: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-19, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Getnet, Kindie & MacAlister, Charlotte, 2012. "Integrated innovations and recommendation domains: Paradigm for developing, scaling-out, and targeting rainwater management innovations," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 34-41.
    2. Johnston, Robyn & Hoanh, Chu Thai & Lacombe, Guillaume & Lefroy, R. & Pavelic, Paul & Fry, Carolyn., 2012. "Managing water in rainfed agriculture in the Greater Mekong Subregion. Final report prepared by IWMI for Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida)," IWMI Research Reports H044646, International Water Management Institute.
    3. Baldos, Uris Lantz C. & Hertel, Thomas W., 2012. "Economics of global yield gaps: A spatial analysis," 2012 Annual Meeting, August 12-14, 2012, Seattle, Washington 124978, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    4. Beddow, Jason M. & Hurley, Terrance M. & Pardey, Philip G. & Alston, Julian M., 2015. "Rethinking yield gaps," Staff Papers 201093, University of Minnesota, Department of Applied Economics.
    5. K. H. Anantha & Suhas P. Wani, 2016. "Evaluation of cropping activities in the Adarsha watershed project, southern India," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 8(5), pages 885-897, October.
    6. Cenacchi, Nicola, 2014. "Drought risk reduction in agriculture: A review of adaptive strategies in East Africa and the Indo-Gangetic plain of South Asia:," IFPRI discussion papers 1372, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    7. Kumari, R. & Sharma, B. & Kushwah, A. & Singh, R. & Singh, R.M. & Tewari, R.K. & Dhyani, S.K., 2014. "Construction of Rainwater Harvesting Structures and Economics of Crops in Parasai-Chhatpur Watershed in Bundelkhand Region of Central India," Agricultural Economics Research Review, Agricultural Economics Research Association (India), vol. 27(2).
    8. Sharma, Bharat R. & Rao, K.V. & Vittal, K.P.R. & Ramakrishna, Y.S. & Amarasinghe, U., 2010. "Estimating the potential of rainfed agriculture in India: Prospects for water productivity improvements," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 97(1), pages 23-30, January.
    9. Sassi, Maria & Cardaci, Alberto, 2013. "Impact of rainfall pattern on cereal market and food security in Sudan: Stochastic approach and CGE model," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 321-331.
    10. Oker, Tobias E. & Kisekka, Isaya & Sheshukov, Aleksey Y. & Aguilar, Jonathan & Rogers, Danny H., 2018. "Evaluation of maize production under mobile drip irrigation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 11-21.
    11. Gulab Singh Yadav & Rahul Datta & Shamina Imran Pathan & Rattan Lal & Ram Swaroop Meena & Subhash Babu & Anup Das & S. N. Bhowmik & Mrinmoy Datta & Poulami Saha & Pawan Kumar Mishra, 2017. "Effects of Conservation Tillage and Nutrient Management Practices on Soil Fertility and Productivity of Rice ( Oryza sativa L.)–Rice System in North Eastern Region of India," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-17, October.
    12. World Bank, 2012. "Uganda : Country Environmental Analysis," World Bank Publications - Reports 12407, The World Bank Group.
    13. Marmai, Nadin & Franco Villoria, Maria & Guerzoni, Marco, 2016. "How the Black Swan damages the harvest: statistical modelling of extreme events in weather and crop production in Africa, Asia, and Latin America," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis LEI & BRICK - Laboratory of Economics of Innovation "Franco Momigliano", Bureau of Research in Innovation, Complexity and Knowledge, Collegio 201605, University of Turin.
    14. Asfaw, Solomon & Scognamillo, Antonio & Caprera, Gloria Di & Sitko, Nicholas & Ignaciuk, Adriana, 2019. "Heterogeneous impact of livelihood diversification on household welfare: Cross-country evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 278-295.
    15. Sharma, Bharat & Molden, D. & Cook, Simon, 2015. "Water use efficiency in agriculture: measurement, current situation and trends," Book Chapters,, International Water Management Institute.
    16. Zhang, Guangxin & Meng, Wenhui & Pan, Wenhui & Han, Juan & Liao, Yuncheng, 2022. "Effect of soil water content changes caused by ridge-furrow plastic film mulching on the root distribution and water use pattern of spring maize in the Loess Plateau," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 261(C).
    17. Mabhaudhi, T. & Mpandeli, S. & Nhamo, Luxon & Chimonyo, V. G. P. & Nhemachena, Charles & Senzanje, A. & Naidoo, D. & Modi, A. T., 2018. "Prospects for improving irrigated agriculture in Southern Africa: linking water, energy and food," Papers published in Journals (Open Access), International Water Management Institute, pages 10(12):1-16.
    18. Sharma, Bharat & Molden, D. & Cook, Simon, 2015. "Water use efficiency in agriculture: measurement, current situation and trends," IWMI Books, Reports H046807, International Water Management Institute.
    19. V. S. Saravanan & Geoffrey T. McDonald & Peter P. Mollinga, 2009. "Critical review of Integrated Water Resources Management: Moving beyond polarised discourse," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 33(1), pages 76-86, February.
    20. Ayyad, Saher & Karimi, Poolad & Langensiepen, Matthias & Ribbe, Lars & Rebelo, Lisa-Maria & Becker, Mathias, 2022. "Remote sensing assessment of available green water to increase crop production in seasonal floodplain wetlands of sub-Saharan Africa," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 269(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:8:y:2016:i:6:p:565-:d:72282. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.