Researchers and extension agents of the USAID supported Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA), a project aligned with the CGIAR Research Program on MAIZE (MAIZE), made significant progress in 2017. Initiatives aimed at improving agricultural production and standards of living for farmers in South Asia were developed and implemented. Central to CSISA’s work on maize-based systems is the concept of sustainable intensification (SI), which aims to increase the productivity of existing farmland while minimizing negative impacts on the environment.
Farming practices that involve conversion of natural land to agriculture and inefficient use of resources and inputs such as fertilizers are not sustainable in the long-term. When considered alongside contemporary issues such as climate change, water scarcity, decreasing availability of arable land, and predicted population growth to over 9 billion people by 2050, it is clear an alternative approach is needed.
The situation is especially pronounced in South Asia, where a large and growing population, competition for crop land, escalating energy costs and intensifying groundwater scarcity in many areas means SI is at the forefront of agricultural research for development. Of particular concern is the region’s water resources — South Asia accounts for nearly a quarter of the world’s food production but has access to less than 5 percent of its annual renewable water resources, with per capita water availability decreasing by nearly 70 percent since the 1960s.
Sustainable intensification of farming involves the adoption of better land management, efficient resource use and concepts of biodiversity conservation. Specific methods such as improvements to tillage and irrigation systems, efficient and informed use of fertilizer and other inputs, and effective mechanization to conserve energy and labor all contribute to increased productivity while conserving resources such as soil, water and biodiversity.
“Sustainable intensification is built around the concept of increasing productivity while reducing negative environmental impacts and assuring equitable and inclusive development in agriculture,"
says Timothy J. Krupnik, CIMMYT Senior Scientist and Systems Agronomist, and Coordinator of CSISA efforts in Bangladesh. “SI also seeks to optimize the use of ecosystem services in production, while also positively contributing to the sustainable provision of ecosystem services so agriculture is of broad benefit to society.”
Water management is at the heart of CSISA’s work in southern Bangladesh allowing the sustainable intensification of poor quality agricultural land. An integrated study, by researchers from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and MAIZE involving remotely sensed, geospatial and farmers’ yield data found that the adoption of surface water irrigation (SWI) could benefit more than 100,000 hectares of fallow and rain fed cropland, substantially increasing maize productivity. The newly mapped rivers and canals can aid the implementation of SWI, with potential to generate revenue of over US$100 million annually to farmers.
The Government of Bangladesh has emphasized its support for sustainable intensification and actively promotes the adoption of surface water irrigation for cereal crop production.
It is widely believed the agriculture industry can achieve sustainable intensification through innovations in science, capacity building and knowledge sharing through collaborative research programs, such as MAIZE and CSISA. Safeguarding the future of agriculture in South Asia will require a coordinated effort with a clear vision of both the challenges and the potential of proposed solutions. Adopting a sustainable approach will allow the region to produce more with less, using resource-efficient, sustainable solutions to conserve water, soil and biodiversity. This approach offers the potential of social, economic and environmental sustainability – components that are essential to ensure the future productivity of agricultural land for future generations.
To learn more about CSISA’s work please see their recent newsletter here.
To read an interview with Dr P.V. Vara Prasad, Director of the Feed the Future Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab on the CSISA website please click here.