Comprehensive Project on Rice-Fallow Management (2023-2024)

Dar, M H and Kumara Charyulu, D and Davala, M S and Sonkar, V K and Pal, A (2025) Comprehensive Project on Rice-Fallow Management (2023-2024). Project Report. ICRISAT, Patancheru.

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Divisions

Global Research Program - Accelerated Crop Improvement

Additional Information

We sincerely acknowledge the Department of Agriculture & Farmers' Empowerment, Government of Odisha, for their financial support, overall guidance and consistent coordination throughout the implementation of the project. Our heartfelt thanks go to our implementing partners for their dedicated field-level support. We also extend our appreciation to the Orissa State Seeds Corporation Limited (OSSC), Hindustan Insecticides Limited (HIL), and Odisha Agro Industries Corporation Limited (OAIC) for ensuring the timely supply of quality seeds and inputs, which were instrumental in achieving the project’s objectives. We would like to acknowledge the support provided by the ADAPT team and the Department’s digital monitoring unit for enabling efficient beneficiary registration, input tracking, and real-time project monitoring. Special thanks to the field investigators and survey teams for their meticulous efforts in data collection, and to the data management and analysis team for ensuring the integrity and quality of the information presented in this report. Above all, we deeply thank the farmers who participated in this initiative—their active involvement and unwavering cooperation formed the foundation of this project’s success.

Abstract

The Comprehensive Project on Rice-Fallow Management (CPRFM) in Odisha continues to exploit the potential of rice-fallow lands for the production of pulses and oilseeds. The project focuses on promoting short-duration and climate-resilient varieties of green gram, black gram, chickpea, lentil, and mustard, leveraging residual soil moisture to optimize yields. GIS-based mapping and remote sensing technology is used to identify suitable areas for intervention, ensuring efficient targeting. Farmers received high-quality seeds of improved varieties and other critical inputs, alongside training on advanced agricultural practices and other crop management systems. Beneficiary farmers reported cultivating 46.1% of their agricultural land in Rabi, significantly higher than control (27.8%) with considerable yield improvements in green gram (214.8 kg/acre, +28.1%), black gram (248.4 kg/acre, +32.7%), mustard (344.0 kg/acre, +33.9%), chickpea (279.2 kg/acre, +34.9%), and lentil (215.2 kg/acre, +35.3%), compared to control groups. Non-beneficiary farmers from the project villages, also recorded yield gains, with productivity increase of up to 13.7%. A comparative analysis between short duration and longer-duration traditional varieties of green gram and black gram across land types revealed that short-duration varieties performed best in midlands and uplands, where black gram yielded 258.3 kg/acre and green gram 224.9 kg/acre in mid & upland ecology, outperforming their respective yields in lowlands (214.4 kg/acre for black gram and 190.6 kg/acre for green gram). On the other hand, chickpea and mustard were more suitable for lowlands, where they recorded higher yields compared to midlands and uplands. This underlines the need for a targeted dissemination of short-duration varieties in mid and upland rice fallow ecosystems through detailed area characterization using earth science approaches. Farm incomes improved by ₹5,570 per acre; 62.3% higher than control farmers (₹3,432 per acre). The intervention improved household diets with fewer cases of poor dietary diversity among the beneficiaries as compared to control groups, proving its effectiveness in enhancing nutrition. For every 10 beneficiary families, at least one family has access to a balanced, nutritious diet compared to the control group, proving the intervention’s success in improving food security. The Dietary Diversity Index (DDI) analysis revealed significant improvements in household diet and nutrition among beneficiaries. The proportion of households with low dietary diversity was substantially lower among beneficiaries (13.5%) compared to control-1 (24.0%) and control-2 (21.6%) groups. Conversely, households with high dietary diversity were more prevalent among beneficiaries (17.7%) compared to control-1 (11.8%) and control-2 (13.8%). The majority of households fell within the medium dietary diversity category (67.0%), with the highest share observed among beneficiary households (68.8%). These findings suggest that improved agricultural productivity, income enhancement, and access to nutrition-sensitive agricultural practices contributed to dietary diversity improvements. Beneficiaries achieved a per capita pulse consumption of 41.5g/day, surpassing the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) recommended intake of 40g/day, while women beneficiaries recorded higher Minimum Dietary Diversity Scores (MDD-W) at 78.7%, reflecting better nutritional access. Women-headed households with access to education reported more yield as well as economic gains likely due to better decisions taken on farm management and effective use of inputs. The analysis identified midland areas as the most suitable for Rabi area expansion particularly for the short duration crop varieties, owing their better suitability. The integration of GIS-based mapping and Analytics for Decision Making and Agricultural Policy Transformation (ADAPT) tools enabled precise targeting and real-time monitoring, ensuring efficient intervention delivery. Beneficiary farmers sold 40.6% of their harvest as compared to 33% by control. This shift in beneficiary behavior highlights the intervention’s role in transitioning farmers towards commercial, market-oriented agriculture. To sustain the program’s impact, strengthening local seed systems is crucial, as 60% of control farmers rely on village markets for seeds, and 27.1% primarily use farm-saved seeds, limiting access to improved varieties and affecting productivity. Expanding the role of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and cooperatives at local level will be critical for ensuring timely seed availability and reducing dependency on informal seed markets. To ensure long-term productivity, resilience, and farmer profitability, it is crucial to strengthen local seed networks, enhance input supply chains, and improve market linkages, enabling farmers to transition toward a more sustainable and market-driven agricultural system.

Item Type:	Monograph (Project Report)
Divisions:	Global Research Program - Accelerated Crop Improvement
CRP:	UNSPECIFIED
Series Name:	Project Report
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Rice-Fallow management, production, Odisha, climate-resilient varieties, short duration
Subjects:	Others > Odisha Others > Oilseeds
Depositing User:	Mr Nagaraju T
Date Deposited:	30 Apr 2025 04:35
Last Modified:	30 Apr 2025 04:35
URI:	http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/13058
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