It also attempted to examine how policy interventions threatened this knowledge base and the sustainable practices it supported.
The study addressed the following research questions:
The objectives of the study included:
Andhra Pradesh was selected for the study on SFM practices in semi-arid regions and their socio-economic, ecological and livelihood dimensions. Andhra Pradesh provided a good case to the point because of its high involvement of small and marginal farmers in agriculture and evidence of the increasing involvement of the state in agriculture. In addition to this, use of fertilisers is very high in the state.
The selected districts were Mahbubnagar, Anantapur and Prakasam. Two mandals were selected from each district, one with the least percentage of net irrigated area and the other with the highest net irrigated area. In each village, 60 farmers were picked, 20 from each sizeclass (large, medium and small). Thus a total of 360 farmers covering the three districts were personally interviewed, using a structured schedule.
The study found that farmers in India’s semi-arid regions have developed a number of techniques to maintain and enhance the fertility of their soil. However, it was found that the farmers’ SFM options were being undermined by governmental policies that gave more weight to chemical fertiliser-based strategies. These included promoting packages of practices that included chemical fertiliser-responsive seeds, extending credit for buying them, not recognising the benefits of a mixed cropping system, and subsidising chemical fertilisers rather than organic inputs.
The study argues that policies that encourage fertiliser and irrigation subsidies may discourage soil conservation and encourage depletion of groundwater and makes the following recommendations.
The entire paper can be downloaded from below: