UPSC Mains Answer: What are the major reasons for declining rice and wheat yield in the cropping system? How crop diversification is helpful to stabilise the yield of the crops in the system?

Difficulty Level: Medium

Sub-category: Agriculture (GS-III: Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disa

Introduction

The decline in rice and wheat yields within India’s predominant cropping system poses a significant threat to food security and agricultural sustainability. This trend is attributed to multiple interlinked factors, necessitating strategic interventions such as crop diversification to stabilize yields and ensure long-term productivity.

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Reasons for Declining Yields

Soil Degradation: Intensive monocropping of rice and wheat has led to nutrient depletion, particularly of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, while excessive irrigation causes salinization and waterlogging, reducing soil fertility.

Groundwater Depletion

The rice-wheat system, especially in Punjab and Haryana, relies heavily on groundwater for irrigation. Over-extraction has lowered water tables, increasing input costs and reducing water availability for crops.

Climate Change

Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and increased frequency of extreme weather events such as droughts and floods disrupt crop cycles, reduce photosynthetic efficiency, and increase pest and disease incidence.

Pest and Disease Pressure

Continuous cultivation of the same crops has led to the emergence of resistant pests and pathogens, such as the brown plant hopper in rice and rust diseases in wheat, further suppressing yields.

Declining Factor Productivity

Over-reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides has diminished marginal returns, with stagnating or declining yield growth despite increased input use. Role of Crop Diversification: Soil Health Restoration: Introducing leguminous crops (e.g., pulses) or oilseeds into the rotation fixes atmospheric nitrogen, improves soil organic matter, and breaks pest and disease cycles, enhancing overall soil health.

Water Efficiency

Diversifying with less water-intensive crops like maize, millets, or cotton reduces pressure on groundwater resources, making the system more resilient to water scarcity.

Climate Resilience

Crop diversification buffers against climate variability by spreading risk across multiple crops with varying climatic tolerances, ensuring stable yields even under adverse conditions.

Economic Stability

Diversification provides farmers with alternative income sources, reducing dependency on a single crop and mitigating market price fluctuations.

Policy Support

Government initiatives like the National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) and crop diversification programs in Punjab and Haryana incentivize farmers to adopt sustainable practices, promoting long-term yield stability.

Conclusion

Addressing the decline in rice and wheat yields requires a holistic approach that tackles soil degradation, water scarcity, and climate vulnerabilities. Crop diversification emerges as a viable strategy to restore ecological balance, enhance resource efficiency, and stabilize agricultural productivity. Policymakers and farmers must collaborate to scale up diversification efforts, ensuring food security and sustainable livelihoods for India’s agrarian communities.