Conservation agriculture production systems (CAPS) in tribal societies of India

Tribal farming systems in India and Nepal, which rely on traditional shifting cultivation, are unsustainable, resulting in the degeneration of natural resources and lowered production efficiency. Conservation agriculture production systems (CAPS), which stresses minimal soil movement, retention of adequate levels of crop residues on the soil surface, and crop rotation, offers a long-term solution to boost yields and conserve the environment. This presentation introduces the first year results of on-station CAPS trials and experimental farm plots in Odisha, India and announces the trials in progress in Nepal. The objective of the studies in India was to evaluate the feasibility of introducing CAPS to farmers in Kendujhar, a district of Odisha. The researchers conducted participatory studies and analytical hierarchy process before conducting on-farm research. This research involved the application of maize+cowpea intercropping, mustard cover cropping, and minimum tillage. In Nepal, they experimented with a rotation of maize with black gram, millet, or black gram + Millet under strip or conventional tillage. The Economic, gender, networking, and capacity building analyses conducted at each location are also described.