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Can Crop Diversification be Widely Adopted to Solve The Water Crisis in Punjab?


Affiliations
1 Centers for International Projects Trust, New Delhi 110 017, India
2 Department of Economics and Sociology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141 004, India
 

The disquieting water crisis in Punjab – the food bowl of India – is threatening its agricultural sustainability, necessitating effectuation of pragmatic policy measures. Conventional agricultural practices, especially the paddy–wheat (highly water-intensive crops) cropping system, are fuelling the growing water challenges. Large-scale crop diversification is being recommended by experts for the past four decades as one of the most potent solutions for attaining water and agricultural sustainability. Despite its merits, crop diversification in the state could not bear fruits and remains almost inconclusive. The present article collates empirical studies to ascertain handicaps associated with crop diversification in Punjab for framing an indefectible crop diversification policy. Such a policy cannot be implemented in isolation but requires multifaceted policy action with the Government playing a key role.

Keywords

Agricultural Sustainability, Crop Diversification, Paddy, Policy Measures, Water Crisis.
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  • Can Crop Diversification be Widely Adopted to Solve The Water Crisis in Punjab?

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Authors

Shruti Bhogal
Centers for International Projects Trust, New Delhi 110 017, India
Kamal Vatta
Department of Economics and Sociology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141 004, India

Abstract


The disquieting water crisis in Punjab – the food bowl of India – is threatening its agricultural sustainability, necessitating effectuation of pragmatic policy measures. Conventional agricultural practices, especially the paddy–wheat (highly water-intensive crops) cropping system, are fuelling the growing water challenges. Large-scale crop diversification is being recommended by experts for the past four decades as one of the most potent solutions for attaining water and agricultural sustainability. Despite its merits, crop diversification in the state could not bear fruits and remains almost inconclusive. The present article collates empirical studies to ascertain handicaps associated with crop diversification in Punjab for framing an indefectible crop diversification policy. Such a policy cannot be implemented in isolation but requires multifaceted policy action with the Government playing a key role.

Keywords


Agricultural Sustainability, Crop Diversification, Paddy, Policy Measures, Water Crisis.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv120%2Fi8%2F1303-1307