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Economics of cropping system intensification for small-holder farmers in coastal salt-affected areas in West Bengal: options, challenges and determinants

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Abstract

Farmers in the coastal zone of West Bengal depend mainly on agriculture but constrained with low productivity and hence low income. Productivity constraints attributed to prolonged water logging during and after the wet (kharif) season, soil salinity and the scarcity of low saline irrigation water as the dry (rabi) season progresses. Level of cropping intensification is very low (123%). Experiments were conducted during 2016–2019 at farmers’ field (90 farmers) in this coastal saline zone for finding suitable cropping intensification options. Several new cropping systems have been found feasible that can increase the cropping intensity to 200–300% while providing better income (2–5 times as compared to baseline). Besides, for better utilisation of scarce freshwater resource the vegetable–vegetable–vegetable cropping system was evolved successfully through solar powered drip irrigation system and low-cost drip irrigation system. Such cropping systems provided higher profitability as compared to the existing farming practices. The paper also highlighted various determinants that may influence the adoption of these new cropping systems by the farmers and the possible strategic options therein.

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Acknowledgements

The study was conducted as part of the project ‘Cropping system intensification in the salt-affected coastal zones of Bangladesh and West Bengal, India’ funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), and Krishi Gobeshona Foundation (KGF) of Bangladesh. Early draft of the paper was presented during Australia Pacific Extension Network (APEN) 2019 International Conference on Extension’s role in Climate, Rural Industry and Community Challenges, held during 12–13 September 2019 at Darwin, NT, Australia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Regional Research Station, Canning Town, West Bengal, 743329, India

    Subhasis Mandal, B. Maji, S. K. Sarangi, K. K. Mahanta, U. K. Mandal, D. Burman & S. Digar

  2. Basin Management Outcomes Group, Water Resource Management Program, CSIRO Land and Water Flagship, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia

    M. Mainuddin

  3. ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana, 132001, India

    P. C. Sharma

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  1. Subhasis Mandal
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  2. B. Maji
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  3. S. K. Sarangi
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  4. K. K. Mahanta
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  5. U. K. Mandal
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  6. D. Burman
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  7. S. Digar
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  8. M. Mainuddin
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  9. P. C. Sharma
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Correspondence to Subhasis Mandal.

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Mandal, S., Maji, B., Sarangi, S.K. et al. Economics of cropping system intensification for small-holder farmers in coastal salt-affected areas in West Bengal: options, challenges and determinants. Decision 47, 19–33 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40622-020-00236-8

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