Development Practitioners perspective. Ashok Kumar

Transcription

1 Soil Health Development Practitioners perspective Ashok Kumar

2 Content Brief Context: Jharkhand What we do My takeaways from soil health training at Cornell Opportunities ahead

3 About Jharkhand.. Created in Nov, 2000 through reorganization of erstwhile Bihar. Geographical area of 79,714 square kilometer. Population ~ 32 million State is home to nearly a 1/10 of the country s Scheduled Tribes including primitive tribes, constitute 28% of Jharkhand s population (compared to all India average of 8 percent). Another 12% of the population is from Scheduled Castes. Jharkhand is also mostly rural, with 77.77% of the State s population in villages. Agriculture is the main livelihood activity Average land holding less ~1 Ha

4 Introduction to PRADAN PRADAN Today: In Poorest Districts of India ~300 Thousand families, ~ 1.5 million population 8,300 habitations, 19,000 women SHGs, 44 districts, 7 states. Social Composition OBC 26% Others 2% SC 15% ST 57% PRADAN 2011

5 Typical Topography and Landholding Upland (0.32ha) Medium Lowland (0.18ha) Medium Upland (0.2ha) 1200 mm annual rainfall, very low Irrigation Lowland (0.12ha) A family s fields are scattered across the landscape

6 Landscape schematic Recharge Tanr (upland) Chaura Terraced (medium upland) 120d rice 10 s m Doin (medium lowland) d rice Bohal d rice 10 s m to a few km Variable discharge zone Discharge

7 Typical village Watershed Map

8 Soil Map : 200 ha watershed Diverse, Anthroposols!

9 Rain-fed Transplanted Rice monoculture Mid July Late July-Mid Aug Dec-Late June: Fallow Late Nov- Dec

10 Min N (kg/ha) Example soil fertility data - Pogro 2006 OC (%) Medium uplands Available P 1 (Bray) (mg/kg) Exch. K (mg/kg) Soil ph (1:5 water) Soil EC 1;5 water (ms/cm) Average Max Min Variable Medium Among Low Lands Average the land Class and Within The Land Lowlands Class Max Min Average Max Min P and K are concentrations, in keeping with international practice 2. Zero means below limit of detection Anthroposols???

11 Elsewhere in EIP Jharkhand soil survey watersheds, 7 Districts All land classes 6 fields in each land class 252 fields sampled OC, CEC, major nutrients and ph

12 Soils are mostly acid, but vary ph Some subsoils are very acid Liming on surface may not address it!

13 Phosphorus is much more deficient than expected, but variable Note the Bray test for P is more common in acid soils of EIP but we found little difference between Bray and Olsen P data for the Olsen test (Bray gave similar results over the ph range ; b=1.0, r 2 = 0.7.) P ranged from not detectable to >50 mg/kg, with a median of <3 mg/kg which is extremely low. 75% of fields were judged potentially responsive to P-fertilizer based on a synthesis of published critical concentrations of soil P for rice P was >10 mg/kg in 10% of fields, which is moderately high even for non-rice crops

14 Exchangeable potassium is generally low but variable High K fields are mostly near homesteads K transferred from lowlands in paddy Potassium concentrations also varied widely between fields, from <30 to >400 mg K/kg (Fig. 10), i.e. from potentially acutely deficient to abundant. The median concentration was slightly lower in rice fields (61 mg/kg) than non-rice fields (68 mg/kg), but the 90 th percentile values were much higher for non-rice fields (205 mg/kg) than rice fields (110 mg/kg) which, together with the detailed data in Appendix 11.10, suggests that K has been depleted from lowlands with a long history of rice production but increased in homestead areas that receive FYM/compost or ash.

15 Crop surveys -rice yields vary a lot, even in the same land class with the same water Why? 8000 Yield (kg/ha) Baid Kanali Bohal Mid Upland Mid Lowland Lowland Pogro 2006 a learning experience

16 Rainfall varies from year-to-year But what about soil water and ponding? The duration of ponding in medium uplands is much more variable even than rainfall (0-106 days) This is why transplanted rice crops fail so often But note good soil water everyyear

17 What we are doing under this context to ensure food security? Understanding the limitation of current practices Do away with puddling where it is unpredictable Build on the merits of current practices Direct seeding for early planting in kharif Line planting, weed & nutrient management, Increase efficiency tools, implements Markers for line planting, wheel hoe/cono-weeders for weeding Women are happy, no transplanting, weeding done by tools Reduce risks- Include weather resilience Start early in Kharif, No ponding, harvest early, second crop Ensure sustainable optimum productivity 4-5 ton/ha arrive at hunger period, Significantly higher than average yield, Opportunity for second crop using residual moisture

18 7 6 Farmer practise DSR Yields 2014 yield (t/ha) Paddy Ranked farmer field

19 Comparison of sowing and harvest dates for direct seeded rice and farmer practice Cumulative frequency DSR sowing Farmer practise sowing DSR harvested one month earlier than transplanted rice DSR harvest Farmer practise harvest June July August September October November December

20 Direct Seeding of Rice

21 Field prepparation

22 Seed rate: kg/ha in up land and kg/ha in Medium low land. Placed in lines with fertilizers and compost. Mix fertilizers in soil with feet

23 Variety: Anjali(90 days)this plant days

24 1st weeding and thinning Day after sowing through manual, wheel hoe or Dry land weeder.

25 Weeding by tools

26 2nd weeding and thinning Day after sowing through wheel hoe or 2nd weeding and thinning Day after sowing through wheel hoe or Dry land weederor conoweeder(if standing water in the field.

27 Flowering and early maturity Stage (Anjali variety 90 days)

28 Abhisek variety (120 days) DSR practice

29 AnjaliVariety DSR practice

30 KalpanaHasda in west SinghbhumDist. Paddy variety Abhishek(120 day) yield 6.4 t/ha harvested by 2 nd October

31 Chickpea after DSR ready for sale early Dec.

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35 DSR practice & Soil Health No Puddling, Good for Soil Physical properties Better use of Soil moisture-start early in season. Opportunity for second crop: residual moisture/supplemental irrigation: Harvest by October when Soil profile is full of moisture, Increased diversity, rotation. Possibility of residue retention of kharif crop Less ploughing in Rabi season Immediate incentive for the farmer Farmers reporting better infilteration in DSR Fields

36 Learning from Cornell soil health training Soil water interaction

37 Infiltration

38 Cornell Soil health training Much appreciation to Soil Physics, Biology and Chemistry contributing towards yields & Sustainability. Possibility of Conservation Agriculture with small holders. Soil is a system and systemic solution is required to address a systemic problem Soil health is the future, a framework is there, guiding principles and practices are developed. Need to work closely with the farmers to develop useful solution.

39 Rapid, understandable and affordable Solution in a Box also suggest next steps. Soil Health information

40 Many thanks for your attention