This document discusses the principles of conservation agriculture and how they correlate with the practices of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI). It defines conservation agriculture as a production system that has minimum soil disturbance, practices suitable crop rotations, and keeps the soil covered with plant residues. It then examines how several SRI practices, such as less tillage, residue management, crop rotation, improved drainage, water conservation, and focus on organic nutrition, help conserve natural resources and align with the principles of conservation agriculture by minimizing soil degradation and maximizing soil productivity and sustainability. The document concludes that SRI is a sustainable practice that can increase rice productivity through optimizing inputs and conserving agro-ecosystems.

1. CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE PRINCIPLES
in
SRI
Prof. P. K. Roul,
Associate Director of Research
Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology,
Bhubaneswar
ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR

2. Objectives
A. Introduce the concept of Conservation Agriculture-
as one NRM Dimension
B. Share the experience of CAPs with Tribal Farmers of
Kendujhar in Odisha
C. Correlate the SRI practices with CA principles
ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR

3. What is conservation agriculture?
A production system that:
a) Has minimum soil disturbance
b) Practices suitable crop rotations
c) Keeps the soil covered with plant residues/
residue recycling
ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR

4. Correlating the SRI practices
with
Natural Resource Management
&
Conservation Agriculture Principles
ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR

5. Natural Resources
Land
Water
Biodiversity (Flora &
Fauna)
ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR

6. Soil degradation vrs Soil conservation processes
for
Soil productivity
Soil
Soil
conservation
degradation
practices
processes
•Proper tillage
-
• Soil erosion •Residue
+
• Nutrient runoff management
• Water logging Soil •Crop rotation
• Desertification Productivity •Improved drainage
• Acidification •Water conservation
• Organic matter loss •Terracing
• Compaction •Contour farming
• Crusting •Organic fertilizer
• Salinization
ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR

7. Proper tillage
Less Tillage X
ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR

8. Residue
management
ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR

9. Crop rotation
Early Harvest
Better soil structure under saturation
Intense microbial (Rhizobium) activity
Further scope of crop residue addition
ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR

10. LESS METHANE EMISSION:
Improved drainage A large fraction of methane is
produced in rice soils.
More micro/macro-
organisms
ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR

11. Water conservation Water becoming a scarce and costly input.
 Rice alone consumes 70% of the water used in
agriculture.
 Conventional rice requires 5000 liters of water
for producing 1 kg of rice (Bhuiyan et al., 1995,
IRRI).
 The share of water for agriculture drastically
go down, as demand for domestic and
industrial sector is ever increasing.
 Experimental results revealed that on an average 53%
less irrigation water and 28% higher yield was realized
in SRI farms than CRC farms. (Roul and Mishra., 2008,
Bhubaneswar).
ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR

12. Population projection and per
capita water availability
2500 2209 2500
1820
Per caita water availability
2000 1700 2000
Projected Population
1500 1340 1500
(Million)
1140
(m3)
1000
1000 1000
500 500
0 0
1991 2001 Stress 2025 2050 Scarcity
Condition condition
Year
Per capita availability Population (million)
ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR

13. Organic
Nutrition
SRI Focuses on Organics
ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR

14. Organic
Nutrition
SRI Focuses on Organics
ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR

15. Biodiversity
Microbial Diversity
Crop Diversity
Genetic Diversity
Microorganism Conventional SRI
Total bacteria 88 x 106 105 x 106
Azospirillum 8 x 105 31 x 105
Azotobacter 39 x 103 66 x 103
Phosphobacteri 33 x 103 59 x 103
a
Compiled by: T.M. Thiyagarajan
ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR

16. CONCLUSIONS
We should not judge a technology only from where it is today
I feel we are at the beginning of a long and exciting journey
The quality of future hinges on the decisions of today
SRI is definitely a sustainable practice, having ability to increase
productivity by input optimisation and agro-ecosystem conservation
ORISSA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR

17. Thanks…..