Page 43 - Prabuddh Gram

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farmers income. growth and infuse dynamism in the agriculture
sector. Respectable income in farm sector will
• The National Sample Survey Office's
last survey on agricultural households was also attract youth towards farming profession and
conducted in 2013. There has been no further ease the pressure on non-farm jobs, which are
assessment of the farmers income. Therefore, not growing as per the expectations. Doubling
there is an urgent need to track the progress farmers' income by 2022 is quite challenging but
of farmers. it is needed and is attainable. Prolonged strategy
focused on (i) development initiatives, (ii)
Conclusion technology and (iii) policy reforms in agriculture
The low level of farmers' income and year to year is needed to double farmers' income.
fluctuations in it are a major source of agrarian ICAR and SAUS should develop models of
distress. This distress is spreading and getting farming system for different types of socio
severe over time impacting almost half of the -economic and bio physical settings combining
population of the country that is dependent on all their technologies in a package with focus
farming for livelihood. Persistent low level of on farm income. This would involve combining
farmers' income can also cause serious adverse technology and best practices covering
effect on the future of agriculture in the country. production, protection and post-harvest value
To secure future of agriculture and to improve addition for each sub systems with other
livelihood of half of India's population, adequate sub systems like crop sequences, crop mix,
attention needs to be given to improve the livestock, horticulture, forestry. Such shift
welfare of farmers and raise agricultural income. requires interdisciplinary approach to develop on
Achieving this goal will reduce persistent knowledge of all disciplines.
disparity between farm and non-farm income, Soumik Dey' and Rachayeeta Barua, Assistant Professor, RKMVERI, Ranchi,
alleviate agrarian distress, promote inclusive Integrated M.Sc. in ARTD (3rd Semester), RKMVERI, Ranchi

Dry direct seeding of rice: a traditional approach of rice
cultivation under water shortage

Introduction alternative water saving strategies are highly
Rice is a major staple food for most of people needed. One such promising strategy is dry
direct seeding of rice.
in the world. Cultivation of rice requires flooded
soil condition. Worldwide, rice is mostly cultivated Dry direct seeded rice
using transplantation process in which, rice is Dry direct seeding of rice (DDSR) is an alternative
firstly grown in nursery and then, the seedlings option of transplanted rice under upland condition
are transplanted to main field under optimum to save water, labour and energy. DDSR can be
soil moisture condition. However, in recent days, adopted for both as upland rice and aerobic rice.
countries are fighting for water as it has become Here, instead of seedling planting from nursery
a precious input for agriculture due to climate to main field, rice seeds are directly sown in
change. Water scarcity is now-a-days a common non-puddled dry soil. It is one of the oldest
issue and rice is one crop which is majorly methods of rice establishment, suppressed
suffered by it. Under less or no opportunity of under the popularity of transplanted rice and is
irrigation as well as erratic and scanty rainfall, now gaining the momentum again in the context
farmers are facing challenges to transplant rice of water shortage throughout the world for crop
on time and grow it thereafter. Even if water is cultivation. The traditional rainfed rice cultivation
available, rice cultivation is confined to lowland falls under direct seeding of rice. DDSR is mostly
areas where water stagnates. So, in order to practiced in Asia, USA, Australia, Western Africa
address the water scarcity issues as well as to and Europe. DDSR in most Asian countries
expand the rice areas in uplands and drylands,