Sustainable agriculture a case study of Gurdaspur District Punjab

Abstract

This research work is an overview of sustainable agriculture in Punjab, with a case study of Gurdaspur District. The agricultural sustainability of Punjab, in general, has been examined in context of current land use patterns, cropping patterns, inputs of agriculture including chemicals, irrigation and energy and associated agricultural practices. The agricultural development in post Green revolution era and its multifaceted impacts on the environment have been studied at the district level. Gurdaspur s distinct physiographic and topographic diversity as an area of study at the micro-level has been elaborated by selecting one village from each physiographic region. To identify the regional patterns of agricultural sustainability, a micro-level analysis has been made at the village level dealing with the linkages between society, economy and sustainable agriculture. Suggestions, for sustainable agriculture, both at macro and micro levels have been put forth. The study reveals that monoculture or rice-wheat cultivation and consequential low crop diversification are one of the key reasons for environmental and economic ills. The degradation of the environment and a resultant increase in input cost due to declining water level is sequentially increasing some cyclic problems of agriculture in Panjab state - e.g., application of fertilizers, pesticides, soil nutrients, and pest attacks. The problems of Punjab agriculture cannot be resolved with a single uniform policy in the state. Different physiographic regions reflect unique potentials and problems and thus need distinct multivalent and multifaceted policies and planning for the agricultural sustainability of the Punjab state. newline