Towards a sustainable tomorrow through conservation agriculture

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), otherwise known as the Global Goals, are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. Intensive and extensive tillage in modern day agriculture has proved to be ‘degenerative agriculture’ practice and is resulting in severe soil erosion and degradation. Forest fires and land mismanagement on hills is causing baldness of mountains; creating dry rivers ensuring the impending water crisis. Desertification have become common phenomena. Our teams’ relentless efforts, since 1998, have ensured the perfection of the Saguna Rice Technique (SRT) and Saguna Vansanvardhan Tantra (SVT) which are the projects implemented targeting climate change and sustainability through climate smart agriculture. We define SRT as “a Conservation Agriculture (CA), Zero Till method of farming which is climate smart and essentially a regenerative agricultural practice”. In SRT, the atrocity of tillage on land is avoided, soil erosion is completely restricted, natural production of earthworms is witnessed, increase of about 0.5% organic carbon per year in the soil is ensured, considerable increase in the fertility and productivity of the land is ensured, and most importantly, adds amazing happiness and confidence of the farmer, making him ready for the future. SRT technique is both a mitigating tool for global warming as well as a perfect adaptation for a sustainable agriculture. It is thus, the holistic capacity building tool for todays’ farmer. With ever rising number of farmers adopting SRT, at present (since 2013) more than 3000 happy and confident farmers, spread across 15 districts of Maharashtra, are practising SRT. The sustainability quotient of SRT agro practice is being recognised and appreciated on the national and international platforms, the Watsave Farmer Award 2016, Earth Care Award 2016, Krishi Ratna, Krishi Bhushan, to name a few. The SRT method of farming has been also nominated as a ‘best practice of sustainable development’ as propounded by Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhaya Antyodaya Yojna. SRT is an aerobic method of cultivation, preventing methane emission, naturally mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. A unique ‘Farmers’ Happiness Index’ survey, with a sample of 160 farmers, resulted into 8.58 Happiness quotient on a 0 to 10 scale. Preventing forest fires and thus, restoring the natural vegetation, ultimately enhancing the water infiltration and aquifer recharging capacities is the basic tenant on which the SVT project is built upon. Successful implementation of SVT projects on mountains and hills is essentially achieving the Sustainable Development Goal number 6, ensuring mitigation to the impending water crisis before the nation, and ultimately the world. Positive results have been observed and recorded on all the project sites where SVT has been implemented.