Diversified farming & livelihood security for coastal ecosystem

Citation: Sen, H.S., Sahoo, N., Sinhababu, D.P., Saha Sanjoy and Behera, K.S. (2010). Improving Agricultural Productivity through Diversified Farming and Enhancing Livelihood Security in Coastal Ecosystem with Special Reference to India.
Presented in the National Symposium on “Sustainable rice production system under changed climate” held at CRRI, Cuttack, Orissa on 27-29 Nov, 2010.

Improving Agricultural Productivity through Diversified Farming and Enhancing Livelihood Security in Coastal Ecosystem with Special Reference to India1

H.S.Sen1, N.Sahoo2, D.P.Sinhababu3, Sanjoy Saha3 and K.S.Behera3

Abstract

Of all the major ecosystems which factor in agricultural or food production, being at the very base of poverty alleviation programme, ‘coastal’ is probably the most important one. Nearly 40 % of cities larger than 500,000 populations are located in the coast in India, and yet threatened by a series of factors threatening the livelihood and very sustenance of the ecosystem. Notwithstanding, it has an economic value beyond their aesthetic benefit supporting human lives and livelihoods. By one estimate the combined global value of goods and services from coastal ecosystems is about US$ 12-14 trillion annually--a figure larger than the United States' Gross Domestic Product worked out. The ecosystem, especially the coastal plain under inhabitation, spanning over 10.78 million ha area in India and mostly rice-based, merits appropriate attention to improve their livelihood through use of suitable diversified farming practices, to speak the least. The paper discusses, along with advancement of agricultural sciences suitable to the ecologies, various farming practices including rice-horticultural/ plantation crops, rice-fish/ prawn, rice-duckery/ goatery and their economic impacts. While projecting on the various ecological factors, mainly of natural or anthropological origin, threatening the sustenance of the ecosystem worldwide, the paper focuses on complete lack of information or even systematic attempts made so far to monitor the parameters. At the end, it suggests the strategies to be adopted on disaster management, livelihood security, and poverty alleviation, keeping in view of the climate change phenomenon, in tune with international mandate, for drawing long term action plan applicable to the ecosystem in India. ,
Introduction

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1Former Director, Central Research Institute for Jute & Allied Fibres, Barrackpore 700 0120, WB; 2Principal Scientist, WTCER, Bhubaneswar 751 023, Orissa; 3Principal Scientist, Central Rice Research Institute, Cuttack 753 006, Orissa