Climate Resilient Saline Agriculture: Sustaining Livelihood Security

Abstract

Agriculture holds the key to nation’s stride towards attaining its objectives of food security, poverty alleviation and inclusive growth. The application of science and technology in Indian agriculture has led to a remarkable progress not only in food grain production but also in horticulture, animal husbandry and fisheries. We are leading producers of rice, wheat, pulses, fruits, vegetables etc. In spite of these developments, the current agriculture is stressed by pressures of burgeoning population, climate change and other production constrains. The committed endeavours in agricultural research and development have helped transcending the boundaries of production and productivity despite the serious constraints of dwindling size of holdings, vagaries of weather and climatic variability marked with recurrent incidences of calamities like droughts and floods, apart from over exploitation of natural resources and poor quality irrigation water in resource poor conditions. In order to sustain the achievements made in farming sector, there is a need to develop innovative technologies and also transfer the same among farming community. The farmers in India have been the crusaders of several revolutions in agriculture. Central Soil salinity Research Institute has developed several innovative technologies in the field of salt affected soils and use of poor quality water in agriculture in the changing climatic scenario. It is planned to bring the researchers, policy planners, farmers, and developmental personnel’s on a common platform to evolve comprehensive and holistic recommendations for climate resilient saline agriculture sustaining livelihood security in resource poor natural resource conditions in the country. In view of this background, scientific community engaged in reclamation and management of salt affected soils and poor quality waters had formed Indian Society of Soil salinity and Water Quality to address the issues of stressed environment at global, national, regional and local levels. The 5th National Seminar on “Climate Resilient saline Agriculture: Sustaining Livelihood Security” would focus on the issues related to resource poor conditions for betterment of the farming community and will benefit all concerned and contribute to Indian agriculture in changing climatic scenario for transfer the technological advancements to disseminate the information to the grass root level workers and farmers for their livelihood security. The themes in this seminar cover modern tools and techniques for diagnosis and prognosis of salt affected soils and poor quality waters, challenges in reclamation and management of salt affected soils, advancements in reclamation and management of poor quality waters, climate resilient approaches for enhancing agricultural productivity, multiple stress tolerance in biological systems, knowledge initiatives and policy dimensions and a special session on Western India.