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Since 2013, the Sustainable and Resilient Farming System Intensification project in the eastern Gangetic Plains (SRFSI) with partners in West Bengal, as well as Bihar, Bangladesh, and Nepal is the key project to address the productivity, profitability, and sustainability of smallholder agriculture. The scientifically developed project activities and tested with farmers’ options based on the principles of conservation agriculture (CA) in a wider Conservation Agriculture based sustainable intensification (CASI) approach has a significant impact on the farming community as well as policymakers.

– Uttar Banga Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, West Bengal

About Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya (UBKV):

UBKV was established on 1st February 2001 at Pundibari, Coochbehar, West Bengal, India. Since its inception as State Agriculture University, the Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya has been in full tune to work for the cause of furtherance of agriculture in the eight northern districts of West Bengal.  With its strength of three teaching Faculties (Agriculture, Horticulture and Agricultural Engineering), three Regional Research Stations (RRS), three Regional Research Sub-stations (RRSS), and five Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVK), the Viswavidyalaya has, by now, established its Research-Extension network in a formidable manner throughout its entire physical jurisdiction.

Since 2006, UBKV started research on Conservation Agriculture in various fields of crop production, crop protection and socio-economic aspects with fund support from Rice Wheat Consortium, RKVY, Ministry of Agriculture, Govt of India, CIMMYT, ACIAR, etc.

UBKV coordinating with the State Department of Agriculture, Govt of West Bengal, and different farmers’ organizations, the CASI technologies have been reached to more than 75000 farmers in the northern parts of West Bengal. Development of CA protocols for the individual crops in the cropping system and dissemination among the end-users through capacity building programs at different levels with innovative business models carefully shaped by the scientists of UBKV has provided employment to rural youth and women by developing micro-entrepreneurship skills.

Key learnings and reflections:

  • The farming system, not a single crop or cropping system, to be addressed.
  • Local cropping system to be duly taken care of.
  • Effectiveness of P-P-P model in the dissemination of technology and proper coordination between key stakeholders.
  • ‘Cluster area approach’ rather than ‘farmers in isolation’.
  • Confidence building on the extension agent.
  • Successful trial conduction under challenging conditions.
  • Mitigation of knowledge gaps.
  • Involving farm females in the planning or execution.
  • Financial support for wide-scale adoption of CASI technologies.

Future Actions:

  1. Establishment of Regional Centre for Excellence of Conservation Agriculture.
    • System Smart: Farming System Research
    • Nutrient Smart: Site-Specific Nutrient Management including water use efficiency
    • Crop Smart: Crop physiology, architecture, genotypes for climatic stress management towards crop modelling
    • Market smart: Resource use efficiency and decision support system
    • Eco-Smart: Low emission of GHG and Energy efficient
  2. Publication of high-impact research papers.
  3. Technical backstopping to the farmers’ groups and State Department of Agriculture.
  4. Linkage with National and International institutes.

Contact person:

Dr. Apurba Kumar Chowdhury,

Professor, UBKV

+91.9434.317.558 or 9434.0145.79

apurba.patho@gmail.com

URL: www.ubkv.ac.in

UBKV Publications

… for more productive, profitable and resilient farming systems

The SRFSI project is a regional research for development collaboration of more than 30 partners, focused on the Eastern Gangetic Plains.