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Crop Production (Unit 6)
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ASRB NET / SRF / Ph.D. Agronomy

Concept of Sustainability in Agriculture

Definition

  • Sustainability in agriculture is the ability of a system to produce food, feed, and fiber continuously while maintaining the natural resource base, ecological balance, and economic viability.
  • Brundtland Commission (1987): “Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

 

Sustainability Parameters in Agriculture: Parameters are broad measurable aspects used to evaluate whether a farming system is sustainable or not. They are the “what to measure”. (Indicators are the “how to measure”).

 

  1. Biophysical Parameters

These relate to natural resource health (soil, water, biodiversity).

  • Soil fertility status → organic matter, nutrient balance, soil depth.
  • Soil physical condition → structure, porosity, bulk density, infiltration.
  • Soil erosion → loss of topsoil due to wind/water.
  • Water resources → availability, groundwater table, quality.
  • Energy balance → input–output energy flows in crop production.
  • Biodiversity → species richness, genetic diversity of crops.

 

  1. Economic Parameters

These measure the financial viability of farming systems.

  • Profitability → net returns per hectare.
  • Input–Output ratio → economic efficiency of farming.
  • Benefit–Cost (B:C) ratio → gross return vs. cost.
  • Stability of yield/income → fluctuation across years.
  • Risk factor → market fluctuations, crop failure risk.

 

  1. Social Parameters

These reflect the impact on society, equity, and livelihoods.

  • Employment generation → farm and non-farm rural jobs.
  • Food and nutritional security → availability, accessibility, affordability.
  • Equity → benefits to small and marginal farmers vs. large farmers.
  • Gender involvement → participation of women in agriculture.
  • Community participation → collective decision-making, cooperatives.

 

  1. Environmental Parameters

These show the impact of farming on the environment.

  • Carbon sequestration → soil and biomass carbon storage.
  • Greenhouse gas emissions → methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O).
  • Pollution load → pesticide residues, nitrate leaching, groundwater contamination.
  • Natural resource degradation → salinity, alkalinity, waterlogging, desertification.

 

  1. Institutional/Policy Parameters (sometimes added as 5th category)

These refer to the support system and governance.

  • Policy support → subsidies, MSP, crop insurance.
  • Extension services → technology transfer, farmer training.
  • Credit & marketing facilities → access to loans, fair markets.
  • Infrastructure → irrigation, storage, transport, processing.

 

Sustainability Indicators in Agriculture

Definition: Sustainability indicators are quantitative or qualitative measures derived from sustainability parameters that help to assess the degree of sustainability of an agricultural system.

  • Parameters = broad aspects (soil health, profitability, biodiversity).
  • Indicators = measurable tools/indices (SOC%, SYI, B:C ratio, WUE, etc.).

They are used to monitor, compare, and evaluate farming systems over time.

 

Classification of Sustainability Indicators

Soil Health Indicators

Measure the capacity of soil to support crop productivity.

  • Soil Organic Carbon (SOC, %)
  • Available N, P, K (kg/ha)
  • Soil pH, EC (electrical conductivity)
  • Bulk density, porosity, infiltration rate
  • Soil erosion rate (t/ha/year)
  • Soil microbial biomass

 

Water Management Indicators

Measure the efficiency and sustainability of water use.

  • Water Use Efficiency (WUE): WUE = Yield (kg) / Water used (m³)
  • Irrigation Water Productivity (kg grain/m³ irrigation water)
  • Groundwater depth (m)
  • Water balance (rainfall vs. use)

 

  1. Nutrient Management Indicators

Measure the efficiency of fertilizer use.

  • Partial Factor Productivity (PFP): PFP = Y / F (Y = yield, F = fertilizer applied)
  • Agronomic Efficiency (AE): AE = Yf −Y0 / F where (Yf = yield with fertilizer, Y0 = yield without fertilizer)
  • Nutrient Balance Index (NBI): NBI = Nutrient input – Nutrient output

 

  1. Energy Use Indicators

Measure the energy efficiency of crop production.

  • Energy Use Efficiency (EUE): EUE = Output energy (MJ) / Input energy (MJ)
  • Specific Energy (SE): SE = Input energy (MJ) / Yield (kg)
  • Renewable vs. non-renewable energy share.

 

  1. Economic Indicators
  • Assess the profitability and economic stability of a system. Net return (₹/ha)
  • Benefit–Cost Ratio (B:C): B:C = Gross return / Cost of cultivation
  • Relative Economic Efficiency (REE %): REE = NRt – NRc / NRc ×100
  • Where; (NRt = net return from test, NRc = net return from control)

 

  1. Yield Stability Indicators
  • Measure the stability and sustainability of yields over time.
  • Sustainability Yield Index (SYI): SYI = Ymean – SD / Ymax
  • Where: (Ymean = mean yield, SD = standard deviation, Ymax = maximum observed yield)
  • High SYI = stable & sustainable yield.

 

  1. Social Indicators

Assess the social dimension of sustainability.

  • Employment generation (man-days/ha)
  • Food and nutritional security index
  • Equity in resource use
  • Gender participation index
  • Farmer satisfaction (survey-based)

 

  1. Environmental Indicators

Measure the impact of agriculture on the environment.

  • Carbon footprint (kg CO₂-eq/ha)
  • Methane (CH₄) emissions (kg/ha)
  • Nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions (kg/ha)
  • Carbon sequestration rate (t C/ha/year)
  • Pesticide load index (residue analysis)
  • Water/soil/air pollution indicators

 

Tabular Summary of Indicators

Parameter

Indicators

Formula / Measure

Soil

SOC, NPK, erosion rate, microbial biomass

% SOC, kg/ha, t/ha/year

Water

WUE, groundwater depth, irrigation productivity

Yield / Water used

Nutrient

PFP, AE, NBI

Yield/Fertilizer, (Yf–Y0)/F

Energy

EUE, Specific Energy

Output/Input, Input/Yield

Economy

Net return, B:C ratio, REE

Gross return/Cost

Yield Stability

SYI

(Ymean – SD)/Ymax

Social

Employment, gender participation, food security

Man-days/ha, surveys

Environment

Carbon footprint, GHG emissions, pesticide load

CO₂-eq/ha, CH₄, N₂O

 

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