17 March 2011
Zero-tillage cultivation is a farming practice that reduces costs while maintaining harvests and protecting the environment. During 1997-2004, an estimated 620,000 farmers in northern India adopted the method to sow wheat after the rice harvest on around 1.76 million hectares of land, with average incomes increasing by US$180-$340 per household per year.
The impact achieved resulted from long-term efforts involving direct promotion and testing with farmers, training and support for national programme champions willing to oppose conventional wisdom about tillage practices and development of affordable, locally-manufactured seed drills. Efforts were led by the Rice-Wheat Consortium (RWC) for the Indo-Gangetic Plains, a partnership involving the national research programmes of Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, and with key technical and logistical support from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT).
DFID funding on natural resources management and core funding to CIMMYT was important in supporting the Rice-Wheat Consortium (RWC).
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