Anup Das – författare

Sustainable management of soils is an important global issue of the 21st century. Feeding roughly 8 billion people with an environmentally sustainable production system is a major challenge, especially considering the fact that 10% of the world’s population at risk of hunger and 25% at risk of malnutrition. Accordingly, the 68th United Nations (UN) general assembly declared 2016 the “International Year of Pulses” to raise awareness and to celebrate the role of pulses in human nutrition and welfare. Likewise, the assembly declared the year 2015 as the “International Year of Soils” to promote awareness of the role of “healthy soils for a healthy life” and the International Union of Soil Science (IUSS) has declared 2015-2024 as the International Decade of Soils.

This edited book focus on highlighting the evolution of Indian agriculture over the past 75 years of independence, covering every sector, viz. crop science, horticulture, management of biotic & abiotic stress, post-harvest quality management, livestock, fisheries, mechanization, marketing and human resource development. The book has 30 chapters from most experienced researchers and academicians who are actively engaged in research work on the subject area of the book.  The book is in line with the strategy for new India @ 75’ brought out by NITI Ayog. It highlights India’s success stories in innovation, technology, enterprise and efficient management together to achieve overall growth while making available food, required nutrition and others ecological services. It also asses the India’s preparedness in terms of commitment toward sustainable development goal SDG). The book is a relevant reading material for both students and researchers and policy makers.

This book provides an overview of the current status of land degradation globally and the different approaches used for its restoration. In addition to the technical aspects, it also delves into the social and economic implications of land restoration, such as in terms of policy planning. Land degradation is a serious threat to agriculture, affecting soil function and productivity. There are up to 6 billion hectares of degraded soil worldwide. It is estimated that 30% of forests, 20% of agricultural land and 10% of rangelands are severely affected by land degradation. The main causes of land degradation are soil erosion, acidification, compaction and salinization, intensive agriculture, overgrazing, poor management of arable land and deforestation. The consequences of such degradation include sand dune expansion and displacement, reduced rainfall, rangeland depletion, wind and rain erosion, and loss of biomass and biological integrity.

In 2015, the global goal of achieving land degradation neutrality (LDN) was included in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as sustainable development goal 15.3. Developing productive soil ecosystems by restoring degraded soils is therefore a future perspective for food security and environmental sustainability. This can be achieved through crop rotation, agroforestry, conservation agriculture, cover crops, terrace farming, ditching, geo-jute, and contour farming and zero tillage. Ecological restoration of farmlands offers an opportunity to reconcile agricultural production with improving ecosystem services. Restoring degraded land through environmentally friendly agroecological approaches has the potential to improve agricultural production and provide healthy ecosystems for organisms.

This book is an important resource for students, academics, researchers, national and international agricultural scientists, and soil experts.

This edited book provides critical insights into changing climate''s impact on agriculture and innovative strategies for building resilience.

The agricultural sector is highly dependent on climatic conditions, is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of drought and heat stress. It has been notices that crop yields in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East are reduced by 15–35% when temperatures rise by 3-4 °C. The book explores the impacts of climate change on agriculture and how farmers can adapt their practices to overcome the dual threat of drought and heat stress on cereals, pulses, oilseeds, vegetables, and other allied sectors. One of the key themes of the book is the importance of smart water management in building agricultural resilience to drought and heat stress. By adeptly managing water resources and nurturing soil health through practices like cover cropping and reduced tillage, farmers bolster their resilience. Additionally, livestock management strategies are explored to combat reduced productivity and health issues due to heat stress. Harnessing the power of AI-assisted solutions, the book showcases how cutting-edge technology aids data-driven decisions on crop management and irrigation.

This book is a vital resource for farmers, researchers, policymakers, and those concerned about our food systems'' future. It emphasizes the urgent need for climate-smart agricultural policies and technologies, offering prospects for sustainable practices and resilient food production.

This book discusses agricultural diversification, nutritional security and environmental sustainability. It helps to address the multipronged challenges of nutritional security while preserving the dwindling natural resources in the current fluctuating climate conditions. Energy-intensive, conventional agricultural production systems accelerate environmental footprints, resource mining, biodiversity losses, and human health problems and reduce soil functionality. Diversified farming can potentially enhance yield, food security, and climate change buffering as it helps to achieve advanced food security by efficient resource use and profit maximization. This book covers the challenges faced during the adoption of diversified farming and opportunities to enhanced food production and minimize the environmental footprints.

This book is useful for academicians, researchers, ecologists, environmentalists, students, capacity builders, and policymakers to have in-depth knowledge of this complex and diverse field. This book also helps in devising a road map for policy planning and advancement of existing knowledge for various stakeholders working in this field.