Crop diversification: opportunities for resilient farming in the Sundarbans of West Bengal

Abstract

The Sundarbans region in West Bengal, a unique ecosystem owing to its geographic settings, edaphic and geo-morphological conditions, is highly fragile and vulnerable to environmental degradation and the impacts of climate change. Rice is the most adapted and predominant Kharif crop in the area, and where irrigation water is available, even two or three successive rice crops are cultivated. Due to mono-cropping, the crop is at risk from large scale pest and disease incidence, reduction in yield and other ecological threats. The already resource poor and marginal farmers are thus under tremendous pressure from the associated economic losses in the event of crop failure. Under these circumstances, crop diversification of the existing rice mono-cropping system will provide an opportunity to the farmers to offset the risks of crop failure. There is ample scope in the region for diversification through introduction of high value commodities such as medicinal and aromatic plants, vegetables, fruits and spices. Besides, having a positive impact on the food and nutritional security, crop diversification will also enhance farm income, generate farm employment, alleviate poverty and promote judicious use of land and water resources for sustainable agricultural development. It is expected that crop diversification would provide an opportunity to the farmers for recovery from the shock of crop failure and aid in the development of resilient cropping systems adapted to the region. This paper focuses on the scope and opportunities of diversification that could be exploited for gainful development of agriculture in the Sundarbans.