Vol. 16 No. 3
Can conservation agriculture be the savior of farm economy? – A study in North Bengal
Author(s): A. LEPCHA, P. NAG AND K. K. DAS
Abstract: Northern tract of West Bengal is an economically vibrant region and its economy is mostly dependent on agriculture as the prime occupation. This article attempts to explore agricultural performance over the years in North Bengal culling secondary information on area and productivity of major crops for the period 1980-81 to 2014-15.Overall instability and decline in growth in area and yield of the major crops is observed. However, Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of both area allocation and yield is on the rise for potato and rabi maize indicating their growing importance in the farm economy though, corresponding CAGR of kharif paddy remains almost stagnant. This rather slow growth is attributed to climatic aberration, decline in soil productivity, low/negative farm income, etc. and calls for a be-fitting technology to revamp the economy. The study suggests popularization of conservation agriculture (which has proven its suitability and worth in the region through successful implementation of an Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), Australia funded project since 2013- 14) as an effective strategy for improving the livelihood security as well as mitigating ecological degradation.
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