TheAssamAgricultural University (AAU), with technical support from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), has successfully tested four systems by cultivating green pea, mustard, potato and lentil after sali (kharif) rice in six districts.
Field test demonstrations in rice environments were selected during rabi season in 2020-21 and 2021-22 for the four innovative cropping systems. Six districts, with an area of 20 bighas each,were selected for the demonstrations. Cultivation of these crops after paddy harvesting will help in increasing the net income of the farmers. In the long run, one of the cropping systems having highest return and system productivity can be promoted for wider adoption, saidKanwar Singh, senior associate scientist and resident coordinator at IRRI.
Geospatial technologies, including remote sensing, geographical information system (GIS) and global positioning system (GPS), are being used under the Assam Agri-business and Rural Transformation Project (APART) for identifying suitable areas where multi-cropping can be done after rice cultivation. The AAU targeted identification of the fallow land to increase the Cropping Intensity to bring a significant increase in agricultural output in low productivity areas and enhance system productivity.
Assam has an estimated 25 lakh hectares under paddy cultivation which accounts for almost 83% of the total cultivable land of the state. But most of this paddy cultivation is confined to the kharif season (sali) during when almost 19 lakh hectares is utilized.