A Review on Conservation Agriculture: Challenges, Opportunities and Pathways to Sustainable Farming

Abstract

A cutting-edge kind of sustainable agriculture, conservation agriculture (CA) involves reducing tillage, maintaining constant soil cover, using a variety of cropping techniques, and effectively utilizing the resources at hand. For instance, CA in India has made impressive strides in the past 20 years, particularly in the Indo-Gangetic plain's rice-wheat rotation. There are many disadvantages that limit the use of CA, despite its many benefits, which include cost savings, improved crop production, water and nutrient conservation, and environmental advantages. Numerous issues include the lack of appropriate seeders for small and medium-sized farmers, agricultural leftovers that compete with livestock feed for CA, burning of these residues, which destroys soil organic matter, a lack of labor, and a general bias in favor of traditional tillage. Therefore, in order to effectively promote CA, we advise immediate policy development and planning. CA reduces soil erosion, preserves SOM, suppresses weeds, conserves soil moisture, avoids compaction, promotes good soil structure, and improves biological processes and biodiversity both above- and below-ground. This article looks at the new problems that are coming from traditional farming practices, as well as the constraints, opportunities, regulations, and areas that need more study in order to expand conservation agriculture in India. This emphasizes that for conservation agriculture to be successfully implemented, governments, researchers, farmers, and other groups must collaborate. Therefore, we have the ability to get past these obstacles and reap the rewards of this kind of farming.