On-Farm Reservoirs for Integrated Farming System with Different Water Management Strategies in Eastern India: A Field Experiment

More than 70% of gross cultivated land of India is under rainfed agriculture. The yields under rainfed eco-system are low and show a high degree of instability due to the vagaries of monsoon and lack of supplemental irrigation facility leads to mono cropping throughout the year. To enhance the farming practices as well as increase the agricultural productivity, three years (2002-2004) field experiments were carried out using on-farm reservoirs (OFRs) with different water management strategies (weir heights) for integrated farming in rainfed ecosystem. The field experiment used polyethylene lined (L1) and unlined (L2) OFRs (80 m2 surface area, 2.5 m depth and 1:1 side slope each) with three weir heights (H1 = 0 cm, H2 = 5 cm, H3 = 10 cm) replicated thrice in split-plot design for sustainable production of rice (Oryza sativa L., cv. MW-10), fish (Catla catla, Labeo rohita, Cirrhinus mrigala) and winter mustard (Brassica juncea Coss. cv. B-54). The evaluation of the OFR system has shown that integrated farming approach has the potential to enhance the farm economy. The benefit-cost of the lined OFR for 0, 5, and 10 cm weir heights were 1.51, 1.50, and 1.40 and those for unlined OFR were 3.29, 3.21, and 2.89, respectively. The pay back period of the lined OFR for 0, 5, and 10 cm weir heights were 20, 20, and 21, and those for unlined OFR systems were 9, 9, and 10, respectively. The study reveals that the OFR technology for integrated rice-mustard-fish farming is one of the promising techniques for increasing the agricultural productivity of rainfed ecosystem. The present research will be a great help in developing appropriate strategies for efficient management of rainwater for sustainable productions in rainfed ecosystem.