From the Indian Blue Community Yuva Vikas Samiti:
Farmers Being Sensitized to Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) Technology Amid Fears of Super El Niño and Deficient Rainfall.
Basti, July 10: In view of the possibility of a Super El Niño event and below-normal monsoon rainfall, water-conserving agricultural practices are being actively promoted in the district. In Bhelwal village of Bahadurpur block, Yuva Vikas Samiti, a member organization of the international Blue Community Network, has established a demonstration plot of Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) technology in the field of farmer Arvind Kumar Singh to encourage farmers to adopt low-water rice cultivation methods.
Brihaspati Kumar Pandey of Yuva Vikas Samiti said that in normal years, sufficient rainfall is usually received by the end of May or early June. However, this year, even as the first half of July progresses, the region has not received adequate rainfall. Meteorologists have warned of the possibility of below-normal rainfall due to the impact of El Niño, making water-saving farming practices an urgent necessity for farmers.
He explained that traditional paddy cultivation involves raising nurseries and transplanting seedlings into flooded fields, a process that requires large quantities of water. In contrast, DSR technology allows rice seeds to be sown directly into the field, eliminating the need for transplanting and reducing the requirement of maintaining standing water in fields.
According to Pandey, DSR technology can save approximately 1.1 to 1.2 million litres of water per acre. Alongside DSR, the organization is also motivating farmers to adopt short-duration and low-water crops such as black gram, green gram and sesame. These crops help conserve soil moisture while diversifying farmers’ sources of income.
The organization further noted that soils in the region are deficient in organic matter as well as micronutrients such as sulphur, zinc and boron. Farmers are therefore being encouraged to undertake soil testing and use fertilizers in a balanced manner based on Soil Health Card recommendations, which can help reduce cultivation costs and improve productivity.
Brihaspati Kumar Pandey emphasized that changing climatic conditions require farmers to combine traditional farming wisdom with modern water-conservation technologies. He added that technologies capable of producing more with less water will form the foundation of sustainable and profitable agriculture in the future.
