This sorghum hybrid has been registered with the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPV & FR) Authority, New Delhi, as an Extant Notified Variety.

The sorghum hybrid CSH 24 MF developed using ICRISAT breeding material was given special recognition as the Outstanding Forage Hybrid in 2019 for revolutionizing forage sorghum production in India. This multicut forage Sorghum hybrid developed by GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology – India uses ‘Pant chari 6’ as the male parent and ICRISAT bred line, ICSA 467 as the female parent. This sorghum hybrid has been registered with the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPV & FR) Authority, New Delhi, as an Extant Notified Variety.

Released in 2009 for cultivation as multicut forage in summer season, this hybrid gained steady popularity.

To meet the growing demand for the certified seed CSH 24 MF, ICAR – Indian Institute of Millets Research has licensed the parental lines to private seed companies for commercialization. This innovative mechanism of licensing the hybrid parents to private sector partners, on a non-exclusive basis, for commercial hybrid production and marketing is paying dividends to both the farmers and its developers in India.

This licensing ensures the availability of breeder seed for producing the multicut forage sorghum hybrid. In 2021, ICAR – IIMR licensed the seed production to 11 companies for US$ 73,000 and 20% of this license fee is shared with ICRISAT which will promote further research.

International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is celebrating its 50^th year of establishment with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi launching the year-long celebrations on 5^th February 2022 at ICRISAT’s headquarters in Hyderabad.

While ICRISAT takes immense pride in its contribution to improving livelihoods in Asia and Africa, the institute is mindful of the challenges ahead. Therefore, the year 2022, for ICRISAT, is not just a year of celebrations but it will also be a year to look back, look within and look forward.

The significance of ICRISAT’s beginning

Many scholars have noted that there is a clear-cut bias towards irrigated areas when it comes to public investment in agriculture and that the rainfed farmers are the most neglected, worldwide. Also, the paragraph at the head of this article, apart from reiterating the bias against dryland farming, also emphasizes some of the key areas to be addressed – more research and development, supporting policy and marketing.

The emergence of ICRISAT and its evolution over the years is in perfect alignment with these priorities. Although established in 1972, by a consortium formed by the Ford and Rockefeller Foundation with the support of the Indian Government, the thought process on setting up an exclusive institute for dryland crops had started much earlier, in 1966, just around the time Green Revolution got underway in India and many other developing countries in Asia. This implies that the development of dryland agriculture was indeed high on agenda for the international development agencies and the government of India.

While ICRISAT continues its world-class research in major dryland crops as also natural resource management in dryland ecosystems, the institute has broadened its engagement in the delivery of research outputs to the last mile through policy advocacy and by making earnest efforts of providing better access to markets for the farmers. Setting up of Genetic Resources Unit (Gene Bank) in 1979 meant that not only ICRISAT but also all other public as well as private research institutes could have access to the basic breeding material in 11 different dryland crops with a collection as large as 1,30,000 accessions. This, in a way, signifies the intent of founders of ICRISAT and the government of India, that dryland agriculture was indeed a priority, it was not really meant to be neglected. It is the quick and spectacular results of R & D in irrigated agriculture, especially among the ‘big 3’, rice, wheat, and maize, that took away major investments, possibly at the cost of dryland farming.

Now that there is a talk about ‘research fatigue’ in irrigated agriculture, excessive withdrawal of groundwater, increasing soil degradation and indiscriminate use of chemical inputs, dryland agriculture offers new opportunities for meeting the growing demand for food, nutrition, fodder and even fuel.

In this context let’s revisit the key features of dryland/ rainfed agriculture.

Interesting Facts on Rainfed Agriculture:

• India ranks first in rain-fed agriculture, both in area and value of produce.
• About 61 of India’s farmers rely on rain-fed agriculture and 55% of the gross cropped area is under rain-fed farming.
• Farmers in irrigated areas earn 60% of their income from agriculture. However, farmers in rainfed areas earn only 20-30% from farm-related activities.
• They account for 89% of millets production, 88% of pulses, 73% of cotton, 69% of oilseeds and 40% rice production in the country.
• Besides, rain-fed areas support 64% of cattle, 74 % of sheep and 78% of goat population in the country.

While the facts above are specific to India, the global situation is not much different. It is interesting to note what the Executive Heads of members of the Environment Management Group of the United Nations have to say (2011).  They say the members are,

Conscious of the fact that drylands cover approximately 40% of the world’s land area, and support around two billion people, 90% of whom live in developing countries.

Mindful of the fact that unsustainable land and water use, and the impacts of climate change are driving the degradation of drylands to such an extent that approximately 6 million km2 (about 10%) is now degraded.

Deeply concerned that human well-being – in relation to health, food security, nutrition, material needs, social relations and security – is at risk from dryland degradation which costs developing countries an estimated 4–8% of their gross domestic product each year.

Convinced that the sustainable protection and enhancement of human well-being is a common denominator for the entire UN system, and that efforts to protect drylands significantly contribute to the safeguarding of human well-being by offering opportunities for local populations and providing regional and global benefits.

Aware that the potential local, regional, and global benefits that drylands may offer have not been fully utilized because of myths, market failures, a lack of public goods, weak incentives, high investment costs and gender inequalities.

Recognizing that many drylands in developing countries have become investment deserts, but that sustaining higher levels of investment can enhance productivity and increase incomes.

Further recognizing that the 10-year strategic plan of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification – which aims to forge a global partnership to reverse and prevent desertification and degradation to reduce poverty and support environmental sustainability – presents a major opportunity to address the underlying causes of land degradation.

Acknowledging that investments in drylands pay off if configured to the short- and long-term variability of these human-ecological systems, and that opportunities for investment in drylands exist for the public sector, the private large-scale commercial sector, the community sector, and the household or small-scale private sector.

In this backdrop ICRISAT, as global research for development (R4D) organization with its strong presence in Asia and Africa, recognizes that it has a lead role to play in improving lives and livelihoods dryland agriculture. In line with just about every concern of the UN, the ICRISAT’s holistic mission goals are,

• Overcoming poverty and hunger through stable and productive crops and systems,
• Reducing malnutrition by equipping smallholder farmers to grow more nutritious, resilient, and diverse foods,
• Preventing environmental degradation through sustainable natural resource management,
• Providing policy support to improve food availability and affordability.

The Gene Bank, the center of excellence in genomics and systems biology, Crop Breeding, seed systems, high throughput phenotyping facility, the center of excellence for climate change research in plant protection, starting the first agri-business incubator in India, the nutriplus knowledge programme, Digital Agriculture initiative, working with multiple partners through its outreach programme ICRISAT Development Center (IDC) etc., are but a few examples of ICRISAT’s broad and integrated approach to addressing both the challenges and the opportunities in dryland farming. More importantly, the seasoned scientists, the state-of-the-art research facilities and the experience accumulated over the past 5 decades are the precious resources available not merely for ICRISAT but every other stakeholder who is willing to work together towards a common cause.

ICRISAT looks to the future with renewed focus and seeks to engage more proactively with the willing partners to make a difference.

• https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.2135/cssaspecpub32.c6
• https://krishi.icar.gov.in/jspui/bitstream/123456789/32445/1/Dryland%20agriculture%20in%20India.%20In%20Challenges%20and%20Strategies.pdf
• https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/rainfed-farmers-are-the-most-neglected/article26272190.ece
• https://journalsofindia.com/rainfed-agriculture-in-india/
• https://www.unep-wcmc.org/system/dataset_file_fields/files/000/000/091/original/Global-Drylands-FINAL-LR.pdf?1398440625
• https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.2134/agronmonogr23.2ed.c1
• https://www.scidev.net/asia-pacific/scidev-net-at-large/dryland-farming-not-so-dire/?gclid=CjwKCAiAgbiQBhAHEiwAuQ6Bki8ju4-nnB_sJpo4O7QnBRlhNhdmFRxeITlNyUVipPtaBJ9sHmydlhoCIm8QAvD_BwE
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/dryland-farming
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780081005965029371

The solutions to improving livelihoods in drylands, however, are far more complex and multifaceted. It is not enough to look for crops and varieties that survive, and then thrive in the little moisture possible with the intermittent rains and go on to produce a decent yield in the poor soils that are constantly degrading. Post-production value addition and accessing markets are equally important for better price realization by the farmers. While ‘wealth creation’ is the goal in irrigated farming, recovering ‘the cost and a little more’ is often an achievement in dryland farming.

Here are some of the serious concerns of the dryland systems

Drylands cover about 41% of Earth’s land surface and are inhabited by more than 2 billion people (about one-third of world population). Dryland populations on average lag far behind the rest of the world on human well-being and development indicators. The current socioeconomic condition of dryland peoples, about 90% of whom are in developing countries, lags significantly behind that of people in other areas. Existing water shortages in drylands are projected to increase over time due to population increase, land cover change, and global climate change. Transformation of rangelands and other silvi-pastoral systems to cultivated croplands is leading to significant, persistent decrease in overall dryland plant productivity. Among dryland subtypes, ecosystems and populations of semiarid areas are the most vulnerable to loss of ecosystem services. It is thought that some 10–20% of the world’s drylands suffer from one or more forms of land degradation. Desertification, which by definition occurs only in drylands, causes adverse impacts on non-dryland ecosystems. (https://www.millenniumassessment.org/documents/document.291.aspx.pdf).

Considering the enormity of geography, population and the challenges in dryland agriculture it was found that there is a strong need for a competent, specialist and dedicated institution to bring about positive changes. International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) was hence established by a consortium formed by the Ford and Rockefeller Foundation with the support of the Indian Government, as a global research institute in 1972). ICRISAT is the only International Agricultural Research Center with headquarters in India. ICRISAT, a premier non-profit and non-political research institute for dryland farming, works across the whole value chain and has specialized knowledge on the drylands, skills on crops of immense value to the nutrition and economics of the semi-arid tropics – dryland cereals (sorghum and millets) and grain legumes (chickpea, pigeonpea and peanut).

ICRISAT works with the following holistic mission goals:

• Overcoming poverty and hunger through stable and productive crops and systems,
• Reducing malnutrition by equipping smallholder farmers to grow more nutritious, resilient, and diverse foods,
• Preventing environmental degradation through sustainable natural resource management,
• Providing policy support to improve food availability and affordability.

File photo

ICRISAT takes a systems perspective to ensure holistic views to make sure key issues along the impact pathway are addressed, has a market-oriented focus, is committed to evidence-based solutions, adopts a multi-disciplinary approach to opportunities, and to finding and implementing solutions to challenges focussing on sustainability, from environmental to sustainable business models.

A glimpse of the ICRISAT’s contribution over five decades demonstrates the institute’s system-wide capabilities and impacts.

• ICRISAT genebank is one of the largest repositories, which has curated 128,979 accessions from 144 countries covering the six mandate crops and five small millets, for present and future utilization in improvement of crops. ICRISAT genebank is a treasure trove of genes with several new sources for agronomic, adaptive, and nutritional traits and tolerance/resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses. The genebank has so far distributed more than 1.5 million seed samples to researchers in 149 countries.
• ICRISAT published the genome sequence of pigeonpea in 2012, followed by groundnut (2016) and pearl millet (2017) pioneering research into these respective crops which garnered international attention from both bi-lateral and multi-lateral organizations.
• As many as 1,181 varieties and hybrids have been released in 81 countries utilizing germplasm and breeding lines from ICRISAT genebank.
• The Tropical Legumes project led by ICRISAT equipped 25 million smallholder farmers to produce 6.1 million tons of grain legumes worth US$ 3.2 billion. This was made possible through release of 239 new, improved varieties for cultivation, production and use of 380,000 tons of certified seeds, covering 4.02 million hectares in Africa, India, and Bangladesh. The impact of the project delivered the Africa Food Prize 2021, which is one among the many impactful projects implemented by ICRISAT. The world’s first pigeonpea hybrid is released by ICRISAT and ICAR way back in 1991. ICRISAT’s early advocacy for climate resilient crops and climate awareness delivered the Noble Peace Prize to ICRISAT’s West Africa Country Director, Dr Ramadjita Tabo in 2007 as a member of The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
• ICRISAT has come out with biofortification innovations developing high-oleic acid groundnut, iron and zinc fortified pearl millet and sorghum varieties. India accounts for 67% and 80% of the global area of chickpea and pigeonpea, respectively. Varieties and hybrids developed from ICRISAT-bred materials account for 53% of the total indent of breeder seed for these crops in India. ICRISAT-related varieties cover over 90% of the chickpea area in Myanmar, where chickpea production increased 5-fold in the past 15 years; 60-70% of pearl millet hybrids in India are directly or indirectly based on ICRISAT-bred hybrid parents. Pearl millet productivity in India has increased @ 3% per annum in recent years.
• Watersheds have silently revolutionized rainfed areas in India; the efforts of public, private and civil society organizations together have benefited 72 million hectares enabling double cropping while 30 to 60% farm losses are reduced due to improved access to water. ICRISAT’s project outcomes in India, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zimbabwe indicate 28 to 313% increase in crop yields while 40 to 85% of farmers have reduced irrigation frequency.
• ICRISAT’s Agribusiness and Innovation Platform influences the development and shaping of other agricultural incubators, catalyzes agricultural investment and augments ICRISAT’s scientific achievements with its holistic business enabling approach.
• ICRISAT’s Digital Agriculture program positions ICRISAT at the forefront of digital agricultural technology that integrates smallholders into digitally supported agri-food systems in India and the global drylands.

The genebank conducts seed collecting missions in the region, together with local partners, and provides training in collection, seed multiplication and conservation activities.

As a young boy growing up in Niger, Hamidou Falalou fell in love with the search for answers and knew he wanted to become a scientist. When, later, he saw climate change threatening local food security, he decided to dedicate his career to helping develop crops that were more resilient to its effects.

Today, Falalou is the manager of the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) regional genebanks in Niamey, Niger and Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

We sat down with Falalou to hear more about his recent collecting work in Chad.

The ICRISAT regional genebank is in Niger. ​Why was it important to collect crops in neighboring Chad? 

Chad is an area of high diversity for several crops that are important in the region, such as groundnut, pearl millet and sorghum, but there are areas of Chad where seeds of these and other crops have never been collected. We need to collect the diversity of these crops now, before it is lost forever as a result of climate change or changes in farmers practices.

By working with national institutes—in this case the Chadian Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (ITRAD, from its French name)—we strengthen their ability to conserve the diversity that is part of their national heritage. And the whole world also benefits from their local knowledge, contacts and resources—for example, ITRAD arranged all the necessary permits and authorization for the collecting missions in Chad, provided vehicles for the mission and shared collected materials with the ICRISAT genebank, from where anyone can request them.

What crops did you collect during this project, and from where?

In 2020 and 2021, ICRISAT and ITRAD visited 116 villages in the Sahelian and Sudanian zones in Chad and 392 villages in Niger with the  Institut National de Recherche Agronomique du Niger (INRAN) and collected samples of groundnut, pearl millet, sorghum, maize, fonio, chili, cowpea, eggplant, soybean, rice, melon, Bambara groundnut, papaya, onion, okra, cucumber, squash, sorrel (Rumex acetosa) and dazo (Coleus dazo), an edible tuber. In total, 1517 seed samples were collected in Chad and 1436 in Niger.

What happened to the seeds that were collected?

First, we test the seeds for viability. Then, we dry the seed lots with sufficiently high viability for storage in cold rooms. We also multiply the seed to make sure that we have enough for conservation and to share with other researchers. We then characterize the different seeds for traits like disease and pest resistance, drought and heat tolerance. And we sent duplicates of the most interesting seeds to farmers so they can continue to be used and contribute to food security.

Once we have enough seeds of the different varieties, we share them with the national genebank—in this case Chad’s—and with appropriate international genebanks. Our key crops go to ICRISAT in India, but Bambara groundnut and cowpea, for example, go to the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Nigeria and rice goes to AfricaRice in Ivory Coast.

Breeders at ICRISAT and other institutes are using some of the seeds we collected to develop more climate-change-resilient crops for farmers in the region.

How can plant breeders and others find out more about the crop diversity that was collected?

We are in the process of adding passport data about the collected seed samples on the Genesys website, which is free for anyone to access. That’s information like the species, where, when and how the seeds were collected, where and how they are being stored and their availability, that sort of thing. Very important information for anyone interested in using crop diversity in research or breeding.

Data on traits such as disease and pest resistance will also be made publicly available, after we do the necessary experiments. This information, together with the unique identification number allocated to each sample, will allow breeders and others to identify materials that meet their needs and to request samples from the genebank that holds them.

The materials held at international genebanks will be available through the Standard Material Transfer Agreements (SMTAs) of the Plant Treaty upon request.

What do you hope for the future of your work? 

We want to continue our discussions with farmers and other partners about the importance of maintaining crop diversity and how to use it better to support future generations.

I want breeders to be able to find seeds in genebanks that have interesting traits and use them in their breeding programs and other research. I will be happy when all African countries have a functional national genebank, and when farmers, breeders and others can have their requests for seeds fulfilled quickly.

To achieve this, we really need to create a network of people and organizations engaged in conservation and use of crop genetic resources because only together can we really solve problems like hunger and poverty and improve global resilience to climate change.

Key to this is getting governments to support genebanks, including appointing well-qualified staff and giving them the resources they need. We also need financial support from donors, including the Crop Trust, to continue working with farmers.

Working together, we can develop climate-smart crops and put them in the hands of the farmers who need them to feed their families.

You mention the need for a network of people and organizations working in the field of genetic conservation and use–has anything been done toward establishing this? 

The Crop Trust has done a lot toward achieving this in the region. It is working with almost all countries in the region, and our partners here know the Crop Trust well. So, when we communicate with these partner genebanks and say that we are working with the Crop Trust, they immediately say, “ah, we know what that is.”

Specifically, the Crop Trust financially supported meetings in 2020 (Senegal) and 2021 (Togo) to establish a regional network of genebanks working in West and Central Africa. At our latest meeting in 2021, we adopted a name, the “PGR management network in West and Central Africa for climate-smart agriculture, food and nutrition security (WECAN-PGR)” and set out an action plan for 2022. The Trust helps facilitate our work, our contacts and our job.

India had made tremendous progress in achieving self-sufficiency in pulses. During 2020-21, the production of pulses was 25 million metric tons from a total pulse area of 33 million ha, but to meet future demand, more is required. Pigeonpea (Tur/Arhar) is one of the major pulse crops contributing to nearly 40% of the country’s total pulses production and addressing its production promises to deliver greater food security.

The national average yield of pigeonpea oscillates between 750-850 kg/ha, but new hybrids have increased the potential to 1400 to 1600 kg/ha. In this regard, short-duration pigeonpea hybrids are the best resource. Over the last five years, hybrids ICPH 2433, ICPH 2431, ICPH 2429 and ICPH 2438 have been consistent and high yielding in multilocation trials.

The short-duration hybrids with 130-140 days to maturity (compared to the usual 180 days) are in greater demand amongst the seed industry, farmers, and the National Agricultural Research System (NARS). The hybrids have standardized seed production protocols, shorter breeding cycle and higher heterosis (40%) for yield gain.

The shorter duration allows it to be cultivated in non-traditional belts and to fit well in diverse cropping systems. The multi-location testing of short-duration hybrids recorded a yield advantage of 40% over national Check ICPL 88039. This could leverage short-duration pigeonpea for rigorous testing for release.

Private sector participation, policy interventions and robust seed systems are key to strengthening the short-duration hybrid technology. Joint efforts are being undertaken in anticipation of realizing the gains of such hybrid technology, as they serve as a lifeline for smallholder farmers in the semi-arid regions.

Partners: ICAR-Indian Institute of Pulse Research, Kanpur, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Maharashtra, and College of Agriculture Badnapur – VNMKV Parbhani, Maharashtra

The gender gap in moderate or severe food insecurity grew even larger, with the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity being 10% higher among women than men in 2020, compared with 6% in 2019.

With less than a decade to 2030, the world is not on track to ending world hunger and malnutrition (SDG 2), even without the COVID pandemic. The setback dealt by the pandemic has resulted in a lost decade in the world’s efforts to eradicate hunger and reduce malnourishment. In 2020, almost one in three people in the world did not have access to adequate food – an increase of 320 million people in just one year. The gender gap in moderate or severe food insecurity grew even larger, with the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity being 10% higher among women than men in 2020, compared with 6% in 2019.

The targets for SDG 2 are directly relevant to all stakeholders in the field of agriculture:

SDG 2.3 – By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment.

SDG 2.4 – By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality.

SDG 2.5 – By 2030, maintain the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated animals and their related wild species, including through soundly managed and diversified seed and plant banks at the national, regional and international levels, and promote access to and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, as internationally agreed.

Pulses have been an essential part of the human diet for centuries. The production of beans, chickpea and lentils has been recorded as far back as 7000 – 8000 B.C. In many countries, pulses are part of the cultural heritage and are consumed on a regular, or even daily, basis. Pulses are critical to reduce the levels of malnutrition, increase diversity in the fields and on our plates, and to improve soil fertility when grown in rotation. The nitrogen-fixing properties of pulses improve soil fertility, which enhances the overall agricultural productivity. Studies have shown that the yield of rice improves by up to 20% when grown in rotation with pulses. Pulses are more water efficient than other protein sources. It takes 1,250 litres of water to produce 1 kg of pulses, compared to 4,325 litres of water to produce 1 kg of chicken and even more for mutton and beef. Pulses can be grown in the fallow seasons between the main cereal crops. Thus, they provide additional income for smallholder farmers while improving the resilience of food systems.

On the nutrition front, pulses are a key source of protein and are rich in complex carbohydrates, proteins, the B-group of vitamins, micronutrients and fibre, while having a low glycaemic index. These characteristics of pulses help manage cholesterol levels and improve digestive health. Urban populations are starting to realise the nutrition benefits, and this is fuelling an increase in the demand for pulses.

To improve the supply of pulses, inter-regional cooperation efforts in Asia, as well as Africa, can leverage the strengths of the agriculture research networks of different countries. For e.g., in Asia the ‘Seeds Without Borders’ initiative, which many SAARC member nations have joined, strengthens pulses value chains in the region for food and nutrition security. ICRISAT is proud to partner with SAARC member countries to ensure improved varieties of pulses are more readily available across the region.

To encourage the production and consumption of pulses governments, private sector and agriculture research institutes must work in a trans-disciplinary manner to achieve:

• Expansion of the area under pulses by utilizing fallow lands and reclaimed wastelands for production of pulses;
• Strengthened seed delivery systems by encouraging production and distribution of high-quality seeds;
• More Farmer-Producer Organizations (FPOs) for value addition through processing of pulses and shortening of the value chain;
• Special schemes and incentives to encourage women and youth to take up agri-business activities focused on pulses;
• Capacity building of pulse growers through the agriculture extension systems;
• Customization and development of farm equipment, including app-based hiring;
• Storage and warehousing developed in rural areas; and
• Increased consumer awareness through various media channels, including social media.

The genetic diversity of pulses held in the genebanks of ICRISAT and other institutions are an invaluable resource to develop new varieties and hybrids to help smallholder farmers fight climate change, emerging pests and diseases and other biotic and abiotic challenges. ICRISAT will continue working with all stakeholders to create nutrition-sensitive food systems by incorporating pulses in a major way in crop production systems.

About the Author:

Dr Jacqueline d’Arros Hughes
Director General, ICRISAT

The CCE is an assessment method deployed by governments to assess crop yield in a region. Produce from the CCE are then tested on various parameters such as biomass weight, grain weight, moisture, crop management practices and other indicative factors for crop yield estimations.

Data from CCE is used by the governments for planning agricultural schemes, policies and programmes. It also helps insurance companies and financial institutions with all the inputs they need before offering loans or insurance coverage in case of poor harvest or crop failure.

Moving forward, the government of India plans to optimize CCEs using different technologies including satellite derived metrics on crop performance and spatial variability to guide the selection and number of ground data sites. The idea is to develop technology-driven approaches for direct yield estimation at gram panchayat level.

As part of a pilot project undertaken by ICRISAT in partnership with Mahalonobis National Crop Forecasting Center (ministry of agriculture, India) between June, 2019 and February 2020, researchers assessed four crops – groundnut, chickpea, rice and maize in five districts spread across three states (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha). Objective of the study was to assess CCEs using spatial statistical optimising technique for major crops of kharif season in the districts.

The spatial yield distribution of Chickpea of Kurnool district.

Based on the spatial data using Sentinel-2 satellite, the researchers conducted CCEs. As a part of the analysis, researchers identified few mandals in Krishna, Anantapur and Kurnool districts in Andhra Pradesh, Puri district in Odisha and Mahbubnagar in Telangana to test the methodology.

“In this study, we used the technique of re-parameterization of crop simulation models based on the several iterations using remote sensing input such as leaf area index (LAI) as it is supposed to be the highest degree of integration,” read the research paper.

The essence of the data collection was to improve the parametrization of the crop growth model and augment simulation with the use of remotely sensed observations.

The spatial yield distribution of Groundnut of Anantapur district.

While the study suggested that incorporation of LAI can improve crop yield prediction, researchers pointed out that it poses a few challenges which if resolved can further improve the yield prediction.

The spatial yield distribution of Maize of Mahabubnagar
district.

This includes collection of cloud-free time-series remote sensing data during the cropping season for assimilation of data in crop models for improving modeling efficiency, studying the relationship between remote sensing derived LAI product and final yields of various crops especially in rain-fed regions among others.

“Further improvements of the Sentinel 2 derived LAI and vegetation index products are necessary, especially during the beginning of the growing season and continuous data during the crop growth period. Availability of location-specific weather data is the key for proper simulations with crop simulation models,” read the research paper.

Read the research Paper: Pilot studies on GP Crop yield estimation using Technology (Kharif 2019) using SENTINEL- 2 satellite data (in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha States (Five Districts)) for Groundnut, Chickpea, Maize and Rice  http://oar.icrisat.org/11945/

The results show that the soil water content is higher in broad bed furrows by 4-10% depending on soil depths, and the depletion of soil water through plant uptake was higher, indicating its efficiency.

The article is part of the PhD study of the lead author Dr Prasad Jairam Kamdi, Manager, ICRISAT Development Center. The thesis is titled ‘Integrated land-water and nutrient management strategies for cereal-based cropping systems in semi-arid tropics’. In addition to field experiments, assessment of agro-adaptations using ‘crop simulation analysis’ is a highlight of the study. The thesis is a significant contribution to rainfed agriculture that focuses on the integration of land-water and nutrients management with sowing decision, which can minimize the adverse effect of climate change on the productivity of cropping systems in the Semi-Arid Tropics.

This study conducted at ICRISAT from 2014-16 included field experiments on six dryland crops in three cereal-based cropping systems – sorghum-chickpea and maize-groundnut in sequential cropping and pearl millet-pigeonpea in intercropping. The two land-water management techniques used were flatbed and broad bed furrows and the four nutrient management approaches were – N1= control, no fertilizer; N2= 100% recommended application of macronutrients through chemical fertilizer (CF); N3= N2 + 100% recommended application of Sulfur, Zinc, and Boron through CF, and N4= 50% of N2 + 50% of nitrogen through organic fertilizer as vermicompost. Of the four, crops that received both macro- and micronutrient application (N3) performed well followed by (N4).

figure 1

Among the cropping systems, sorghum-chickpea showed the highest system equivalent yield and water productivity with the combined application of macro- and micronutrients. The broad bed furrows minimized water stress at critical crop growth stages leading to increase in crop yield and water productivity (see figure 1). The use of this technology along with the application of macro- and micronutrients could be a climate adaptation strategy for smallholder farmers in the semi-arid tropics.

Dr Kamdi was awarded a PhD in Agronomy from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur during the 67^th convocation held in December 2021.

Click here to access the paper: http://oar.icrisat.org/11527/

Odisha ranks sixth in India in terms of groundnut production. However, unavailability of quality seed locally during the planting season at an affordable price has been a major problem for the smallholder farmers. Almost all the farmers in the project villages procure groundnut seed informally from fellow farmers. Application of chemical fertilizers is also found to be limited in these resource-poor remote villages mainly due to lack of awareness and affordability.

In the absence of proper market linkages, adoption of a complete package of practice may increase the productivity in the short-term, however increase in input cost may not be sustainable particularly beyond the project period. Hence, for better adoption, the project activities were based  on data from the onset. Stratified soil sampling and detailed physico-chemical analysis were carried out as an entry point activity. Soil analysis revealed widespread Sulfur and Boron deficiency across the project villages (Fig 1). Such micronutrient deficiencies adversely affected groundnut cultivation, causing stunted growth, general yellowing of plants and delayed maturity in these regions. Since farmers, were unaware of the problem, they were using more and more NPK fertilizers, with little improvement in yield, and this further reduced their net income. As a result, the net-cultivated area in these traditional groundnut (rabi) belts of Koraput have been on decline over the last few decades.

Uptake of science-based interventions have been much better among marginalized farmers with the adoption of a participatory approach. During post-rainy (rabi) 2020, farmer participatory demonstrations were undertaken for high yielding Devi (ICGV 91114) variety of groundnut. Seeds and micronutrients were provided to 16 traditional groundnut farmers of Kumbhariput (GP: Pitaguda), Rusheiput (GP: Rajput), Pungar (GP: Pakajhola) and Pitaguda (GP: Pitaguda) villages. The main purpose was to capacitate progressive minded traditional groundnut farmers and facilitate transfer of learnings by sharing their success with others. OLM officials and field functionaries actively supported this farmer selection process.

Cultivation of ICGV 91114 variety was found to be a great option to generate additional income for the farming families as it can be cultivated without elaborate field preparation using residual moisture (without supplementary irrigation), making the traditional rice fallows productive. Being a leguminous crop, its atmospheric nitrogen-fixing capacity improves the soil fertility. The farmers were made aware of soil nutrient deficiencies and the importance of secondary and micronutrients through informal as well as formal village-level trainings. They were given both Boron and Zinc Sulfate to demonstrate their significance along with seed of improved groundnut variety.

Fig 1: Soil sampling and analysis revealed the wide spread micronutrient deficiency in Semiliguda, Koraput.

Usually sowing of groundnut is labor intensive. Hiring labor for sowing is not a common practice in these villages, as the women Self-Help Group (SHG) members take it up. In order to reduce drudgery, easily replicable models of seed dibblers (cost about ₹1,800) were distributed among the farmers. Improved agronomic practices such as line-sowing and seed treatment were also promoted among the farmers.

In Semiliguda block, the cultivation period for post-rainy (rabi) groundnut is between December to May i.e. sowing during December and harvesting during May. However, the cultivation period also depends on the local market dynamics, weather as well as field conditions. The seeds were distributed in January 2020 and farmers in Rusheiput village sowed immediately and harvested the crop in May 2020. However, in Pitaguda sowing was done late (in February) and the harvest was in July 2020. Significantly, higher yields (2130 kg/ha) were observed in participatory demo plots, considering average groundnut yield for local varieties adopting traditional practice is less than 800 kg/ha. Application of 2 kg/acre of Boron and 5 kg/acre of Zinc Sulfate increased the input cost by about ₹1,500 per ha. Overall, the approach increased the productivity of groundnut significantly.

This increase in yield alone will not augment the livelihood of the traditional groundnut farmers in Koraput district. As a first step to improve their livelihood, groundnut varieties with high oil content were introduced in the project village Sirimoda (Kunduli GP). The selection was in consultation with Ms Sushmita Samantaray (District Project Manager, Koraput, OLM) and Mr Karunakar (Block Project Manager, Semiliguda, Koraput, OLM). Groundnut production in Kunduli is much higher than other three project GPs and farmers of Kunduli are known for their traditional knowledge and prowess in groundnut cultivation. A local SHG group, Maa Majigouri, in Sirimoda village was interested in informal seed production of high-oil groundnut varieties. Likewise, groundnut seed of the high-oil variety, GJG 32 (ICGV 03043) were given to six farmers of this SHG group for cultivation on 2.5 acre. Among the released groundnut varieties in India, this variety has the highest kernel oil content (53%). Cultivation of GJG 32 (ICGV 03043) variety of groundnut requires less fertilizer and pesticides and takes less time to weed compared to K6 variety often grown locally. These seeds were directly sent to the villages from ICRISAT-Hyderabad, as they are not commercially available in the market. Giving direct access to such new, improved varieties to traditional farmers with technical handholding can greatly augment seed replacement in such hinterlands. The resource-poor farmers in Sirimoda rarely apply fertilizer for groundnut cultivation. Crop cutting experiments demonstrated, with improved variety, agronomic practices and application of micronutrients, a 40% increase in the pod yield (average observed yield of 2116 kg/ha) compared to their traditional practice (average observed yield of 1267 kg/ha). The local farmers were pleased to see the increase in yield and appreciated the taste of the kernel as well.

Groundnut seed harvested by the farmers is used to foster informal seed replacement among the nearby farmers. Dr Aviraj Datta, Scientist, ICRISAT, who is the district coordinator for the OLM-ICRISAT project in Koraput, fondly shared that the popularity of the variety and the success of the intervention has reached other blocks of Koraput. To further augment the informal seed systems, Dr P Janila, Principal Scientist, Groundnut Breeding (and Cluster Leader – Crop Breeding, ICRISAT) facilitated procurement of 1000 kg of Breeder Seed of GJG 32 (ICGV 03043) from Junagadh Agriculture University (JAU) for seed production, during the ongoing rabi season in Boriguma block of Koraput, undertaken by a Gram Panchayat Level Federation (GPLF) named Benasur.

Rainy 2021 demonstration of GJG 32 (ICGV 03043) variety of groundnut in Sirimoda village of Kunduli GP Photo: ICRISAT