◊ By J S Oberoi & Rohan Grover. Photographs courtesy of Nature Bio Foods

The age-old image of a farmer with his pair of bullocks ploughing the field has been long etched in our minds. But this image will soon become outdated as human evolution continues with corresponding circumstances. The need of the hour calls for climate smart agricultural practices. Receding underground water tables and deteriorating soil health are major concerns. An uneven field makes for inefficient use of water and much energy is exhausted in drawing water to the surface.

Therefore, smart agricultural practices such as Laser Land Levelling (LLL) must be adopted in farming. LLL is the process of smoothing out the land surface from its average elevation with laser-equipped drag buckets. It is an essential farm operation towards precision agriculture with the benefits of enhanced water application efficiency, improved crop stand by reduction of water consumption in irrigation, energy conservation, and improved crop establishment.

LLL’s efficacy in agriculture has been proven by a number of research studies across countries. Studies also make it evident that LLL is more productive than traditionally levelled fields, leading to not only water and energy conservation but also greater revenue by way of increased production. Further, it is a scale-neutral technology, which means both small and large landholders can employ it.

BENEFITS OF LASER LAND LEVELLING

> Reduced irrigation time

> Reduced water consumption

> Improved yields

> Increased production

> Reduced electricity consumption

Under its Sustainable Production of Organic & Fair Trade Rice (SPOFT) Project, Nature Bio Foods has implemented LLL in one of the districts in Uttar Pradesh. Under the project, a total of 1,637 acres of land has been covered, benefiting 928 farmers.

We had to hand-hold our farmers and bring them together for LLL training. The monetary expend on the endeavour was insignificant compared to the robust efforts made by the team to train the farmers and communicate the various benefits of adopting LLL. The hiring of equipment and management of the project was executed by the agri-extension team of the non profit, Fair Farming Foundation, which carries out welfare and integrated rural development programmes.

We’re closely monitoring these 1,637 acres that have been put under LLL, and will continue to strive to demonstrate the benefits to more farmers, so that larger areas can be converted to this efficient technology. We hope many more farmers will engage in natural farming profitably through the optimum utilisation of water, as well as, adoption of new technologies in agriculture—ranging from improved seeds to storage technologies, and of course, LLL.

Adoption of the latest technologies by vast numbers of farmers is not difficult, provided they receive continued support and guidance.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

JS Oberoi is CEO, Nature Bio Foods.

Rohan Grover is Director, Nature Bio Foods.