System of crop intensification for more productive, resource-conserving, climate-resilient, and sustainable agriculture: experience with diverse crops in varying agroecologies

ABSTRACT
With continually increasing demand for food accompanied by the constraints of climate
change and the availability and quality of soil and water, the world’s farmers are
challenged to produce more food per hectare with less water, and with fewer
agrochemical inputs if possible. The ideas and methods of the system of rice
intensification which is improving irrigated rice production are now being extended/
adapted to many other crops: wheat, maize, finger millet, sugarcane, tef, mustard,
legumes, vegetables, and even spices. Promoting better root growth and enhancing
the soil’s fertility with organic materials are being found effective means for raising
the yields of many crop plants with less water, less fertilizer, reduced seeds, fewer
agrochemicals, and greater climate resilience. In this article, we review what is
becoming known about various farmer-centred innovations for agroecological crop
management that can contribute to agricultural sustainability. These changes
represent the emerging system of crop intensification, which is being increasingly
applied in Asian, African, and Latin American countries. More research will be needed
to verify the efficacy and impact of these innovations and to clarify their conditions
and limits. But as no negative effects for human or environmental health have been
identified, making these agronomic options more widely known should prompt more
investigation and, to the extent justified by results, utilization of these methodologies.

Read More: IJAS – SCI 12-18