Revitalization of Rivers in India Draft Policy - Isha Guru Jaggi Vasudev

Revitalization of Rivers In India
Draft Policy Recommendation
(i) With changing climate, land degradation is expected to further
increase due to high intensity storms, extensive dry spells, and
denudation of forest cover. Combating further land degradation and
investing in soil conservation is a major task involving the promotion
of sustainable development and nature conservation.
(ii) An integrated watershed approach should be given maximum
attention to combat land degradation and environmental problems,
particularly in fragile areas.
(iii) Sustainable agricultural intensification using innovative farming
practices have tremendous potential of increasing productivity and
conserving natural resources, particularly by sequestering Soil Organic
Carbon (both labile and recalcitrant), and improving soil quality.
(iv) Conservation agriculture (CA) coupled with other technologies like
micro-irrigation, fertigation, and management of problem soils using
specific and necessary technologies hold great promise to increase
productivity of crops and fruits, and reverse soil degradation.
(v) Novel CA practices include permanent broad bed with residue
retention under maize/cotton/pigeon pea-wheat cropping systems
and seasonal tillage alterations under rainfed and rice-based agroecosystems.
(vi) These practices need to be evaluated in micro-environments of
different agro-climatic regions with different farming practices for
wider adaptability on a watershed basis.
(vii) The non-edible (to animals) agricultural residues must not be burnt
and should be used for mulching along with growing of cover crops,
preferably legumes.
The contributions of Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) on physical, chemical, and
biological properties of soils in sustaining their productivity are being appreciated
since the dawn of human civilization. Restoration of soil quality through SOC
management has remained the major concern for tropical soils. The most
conducive soil–climatic environment for higher accumulation of SOC, thus
Annexures
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