A significant pilot initiative focused on boosting crop productivity through diversification has officially commenced in Andhra Pradesh’s Nandyal district.
This ambitious project, spearheaded by the Division of Crops and Post Harvest Management of Foodgrain under the Union Ministry of Agriculture’s Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, received its sanction for the 2024-25 period. It operates as part of the All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Integrated Farming Systems, bringing together the expertise of the Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS), Maruteru, alongside RARS, Nandyal, and Krishi Vignan Kendra (KVK), Banavasi, located in Kurnool district.
B. Sahadeva Reddy, Principal Scientist (Agronomy) and Project Coordinator from RARS, Maruteru, emphasized that the project’s core objective is to uplift farmer livelihoods through resilient and sustainable agricultural production systems. He elaborated, “We are actively promoting crop diversification in agriculture. This involves cultivating a wider array of crops to bolster agricultural resilience against unpredictable climatic shifts, enhance soil vitality, mitigate risks, and ultimately, increase farmer incomes. It marks a crucial transition from traditional monoculture farming towards a more varied and integrated approach.”
For the Kharif 2025 season, the project implemented 100 demonstration plots. These showcased the benefits of inter-cropping soybeans and bajra with redgram, contrasting these diversified systems with areas growing only sole redgram in both Nandyal and Kurnool districts.
Moving into the Rabi season, another 100 demonstrations were set up under irrigated dry conditions in Nandyal and Kurnool. Here, maize cultivation was compared against transplanted rice, highlighting the advantages of alternative crops. To address the labor-intensive nature of sowing, awareness programs at KVK, Banavasi, and RARS, Nandyal, featured demonstrations of a push hoe seed drill – a tool that significantly reduces manual effort for maize sowing, allowing a single laborer to manage the task efficiently.
Embracing crop diversification, particularly with irrigated dry crops, offers numerous benefits. It promises higher income potential, improved soil health, and enhanced adaptability to climate change, standing as a superior alternative to rice-monoculture systems. Furthermore, these diversified farming methods play a vital role in strengthening food security and optimizing resource utilization across the region.