Environmental problem is one of the serious pressing challenge for all the living creature. since we human itself are the cause for this problem. So realizing this all the thematic report of july is really admirable. To some extent this has questioned inner me about my contribution for this environment. Since i am an undergraduate Agriculture student and i believe agriculture and environment are the integral component to each other. So being an agriculturist as well eco warrior, i found that how the environmental components like soil, water, land, air are damaged by various implements, so as i agriculturist i refer conservation agriculture for solving various  problems on environmental components.

Conservation Agriculture is a broad concept of resource saving agriculture production that strives to achieve acceptable profits together with the high and sustained production levels while concurrently conserving environment. According to Food and Agricultural Organization Conservation Agriculture aims to conserve, improve and make most efficient and significant use of natural resources through integrated management of available soil, water and biological resources combined with external inputs. It has a significant contribution on the environment as well enhancing of agriculture production so also called as resource efficient or resource effective agriculture. Agriculture and conservation are two element that seems to be unlikely but n coexist with each other. Taking about the history of Conservation agriculture in its form was invented first in the 1940s in Nebreska, USA where mulch was used to control wind erosion, Since then the concept of this farming has evolved. Conservation Agriculture has mainly three key principles, I.e Practicing minimum mechanical soil disturbance, protecting soil that is managing the top soil to create the permanent organic soil cover, practice of crop rotation with more than two crop species. Thus by applying these three principle conservation agriculture has been widely applied from tropical climatic condition, equatorial climate to polar circle along with different crops and cropping systems.

In conservation Agriculture there is almost no tillage, reduced minimum tillage, nutrient recycling, trap cropping for insect control rather than using pesticides, agro forestry or farm forestry, biological mode of pest pathogen control, Integrated pest management, cover and green manure cropping, stubble mulching, alley cropping, contour farming, bed and furrow planting, strip cropping, organic and bio dynamic farming, continuous crop land use. Thus the benefit of conservation Agriculture are primarily economic and environmental which are interrelated to each other. Thus conservation Agriculture has been the need of the farming system. As minimum soil disturbance helps in maintaining minerals, stopping erosion, preventing water loss within the soil and finally enhance soil fertility. It helps in the minimization of irrigation requirement saving 30%-40% of time and labor helping in proper water use efficiency. Permanent organic soil cover allows growth of organisms within the soil structure which break down the mulch that is left on the soil surface. The mulch produces a high organic matter level which will act as a natural fertilizer for the soil surface. Crop rotation will act as a natural insecticides and herbicides against specific crops. It also allows for an extensive build up of rooting zones which will allow for better water infiltration. Conservation Agriculture is found to be much important process to be looked at in order for the future generation to have a chance to produce. Conservation agriculture is looking to the future for reducing leaching problems for which the farmer have to leave cover over their fields in order to save fields from erosion and leaching of chemicals increasing the natural fertility of soil. Besides just animal waste(manure) also food and urbanized waste are being looked towards as a way to utilize growth with in CA. The eliminating of burning of stubble in the field strictly provide to mitigate green house gas which is also supported by minimizing the tillage of soil by tractor which requires burning off fuel operation.

Conservation Agriculture is now globally recognized as the integral farming system with potential to reduce and address carbon emissions and climate change issues.  Globally the link between carbon sequestration in soil, global warming an role of conservation farming is now recognized by agriculture policy makers. CA helps in adaptation to climate change by modifying the resilience of agricultural farming systems making them less vulnerable to extreme climatic situations, improved soil structure with high water infiltration rate minimize the chance of flooding, erosion after high rainfall. CA has potential in mitigating climate change by emitting less amount of green house gases like carbondioxide, nitrous oxide by the reduction in fossil fuel consumption and elimination of crop residue burning and sequestrating soil organic carbon over a long period. No till and adequate water management minimizes the release of greenhouse gases like methane in rice field as rice field alone contribute around 10% of agricultural factor contributing climate change.

To sum up with alot of advantage of conservation agriculture there are still some challenges for its adoption. Some are lacking of knowledge to farmers how to do it and traditional mind set of farmers. Shortage and unavailability of suitable herbicides and equipment to suppress weed and vegetation management. Thus, Conservation agriculture involves planning, management and a commitment to sustainability which requires a good understanding of the interaction between plants, the soil system and the environment. 

References:

http://www.fao.org/conservation-agriculture/impact/benefits-of-ca/en/

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280640422_Environmental_Benefits_of_Conservation agriculture

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