The Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (CSSRI), one of India’s leading agricultural research institutes, has partnered with CIMMYT to develop a technical bulletin in Hindi on conservation agriculture practices as part of the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA). The bulletin was recently released at the spring farmers’ fair, “Rabi Kisan Mela” organized by CSSRI in Karnal, Haryana. The bulletin aims to increase awareness among farmers about sustainable intensification and the latest conservation agriculture technologies.

R.S. Paroda, former director general of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), and chairman of Haryana Farmers Commission, launched the bulletin at the fair’s inauguration and advised farmers to adopt sustainable agricultural practices in view of shrinking land and declining water resources. He appreciated the conservation agriculture research-for-development efforts in Haryana by ICAR, CIMMYT, the Department of Agriculture and other institutions and advocated for faster adoption of conservation agriculture practices to address the emerging challenges of climate change.

The fair provided a platform for more than 3,000 farmers from Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh to participate and interact with researchers, extension agents and policy makers on the issues of salt-affected soils management, conservation agriculture, precision agriculture, farm mechanization and options for climate-resilient farming under diverse production systems. Twenty-five progressive farmers were also congratulated at the fair. The CIMMYT-Haryana team also used an exhibition to disseminate resource-conserving and climate-smart agricultural technologies.