Integrated watershed management for transforming dryland livelihoods: A climate-smart strategy for sustainable dryland agriculture in India

Ram A. Jat , Dinesh Jinger , Anita Kumawat , Saswat Kumar Kar , Indu Rawat , Suresh Kumar , Venkatesh Paramesh , Vijay Singh Meena , Rajesh Kaushal , Kuldeep Kumar , Hari Singh Meena , S.P. Wani , Rajbir Singh , M. Madhu
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Abstract

In India, 51 % of the net sown area relies on rainfed agriculture, with 40 % of landholdings unirrigated and 13 % partially irrigated. Rainfed farming produces 40 % of food grains and supports two-thirds of the livestock population but faces challenges like land degradation, low productivity, and biodiversity loss due to erratic monsoons and extreme weather. Additionally, India’s water scarcity is worsening, with per capita availability expected to reduce from 802 cubic meters in 2022 to 677 cubic meters by 2050. Therefore, to meet the diverse food requirements of the burgeoning population of the country, conservation of natural resources, and improving the living standard of the resource-poor small and marginal farmers is imperative. Integrated watershed management (IWM) has emerged as a climate-smart strategy to address these challenges by enhancing soil and water conservation, agricultural productivity, and livelihoods in dryland systems. This study assesses the impact of IWM on dryland agriculture in India by analyzing various interventions such as in-situ and ex-situ water conservation, soil health management, and the use of modern technologies like remote sensing (RS) and geographic information systems (GIS). The results revealed that the adoption of IWM practices has led to significant improvements in soil moisture retention (20–25 %), soil organic carbon (22–32 %) agricultural productivity (30–45 %), and water use efficiency (15–25 %). Additionally, soil conservation techniques have reduced soil loss and runoff by 25–50 % and 50–60 %, respectively. Furthermore, the cultivation of lemon grass (Cymbopogon flexuosus), anjan grass (Cenchrus ciliaris), and bamboo (Bambusa spp.) could be the nature-based solutions for mitigating the impact of climate change due to their soil binding capacity and carbon sequestration potential. Moreover, this review indicates the potential of fast-growing trees (Melia dubia) under the agroforestry system in enhancing carbon sequestration by >100 % over sole cultivation. These results demonstrate that IWM is a sustainable solution to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change on dryland farming systems and improve rural livelihoods. Further, the study suggests that IWM practices helps to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) such as zero hunger, no poverty, and climate action etc., particularly in the face of climate change in water-scarce regions.
改变旱地生计的综合流域管理:印度可持续旱地农业的气候智能型战略
在印度,51%的净播种面积依靠雨养农业,40%的土地没有灌溉,13%的土地只有部分灌溉。雨养农业生产了40%的粮食,养活了三分之二的牲畜,但面临着土地退化、生产力低下和因不稳定的季风和极端天气导致的生物多样性丧失等挑战。此外,印度的水资源短缺正在恶化,人均可用水量预计将从2022年的802立方米减少到2050年的677立方米。因此,为了满足该国不断增长的人口对食物的多样化需求,保护自然资源,提高资源贫乏的小农和边缘农民的生活水平势在必行。综合流域管理(IWM)已成为一项气候智能型战略,通过加强旱地系统的水土保持、农业生产力和生计来应对这些挑战。本研究通过分析各种干预措施,如原位和非原位水土保持、土壤健康管理以及遥感(RS)和地理信息系统(GIS)等现代技术的使用,评估了IWM对印度旱地农业的影响。结果表明,采用IWM措施可显著提高土壤保墒(20 - 25%)、土壤有机碳(22 - 32%)、农业生产力(30 - 45%)和水分利用效率(15 - 25%)。此外,土壤保持技术使土壤流失和径流分别减少了25 - 50%和50 - 60%。此外,种植柠檬草(Cymbopogon flexuosus)、冬青草(Cenchrus ciliaris)和竹子(Bambusa spp.)可能是缓解气候变化影响的自然解决方案,因为它们具有土壤结合能力和碳固存潜力。此外,本综述还指出,在农林复合系统下,速生乔木(Melia dubia)的固碳潜力比单独种植提高100%。这些结果表明,IWM是缓解气候变化对旱地农业系统不利影响和改善农村生计的可持续解决方案。此外,研究表明,IWM实践有助于实现可持续发展目标(sdg),如零饥饿、无贫困和气候行动等,特别是在缺水地区面临气候变化的情况下。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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