An agriculture fair organised at Chirawa in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district over the weekend highlighted the need for water conservation and a shift towards less water-intensive crops, while calling for technological applications for higher crop yield and ensuring remunerative prices for agricultural produce.
About 2,000 farmers of the Shekhawati region, who attended the fair, apprised the experts of their difficulties in making productive use of land because of climate change and paucity of water. The fair was organised by Ramkrishna Jaidayal Dalmia Seva Sansthan in association with the State government’s Agriculture Department and Krishi Vigyan Kendra.
Jhunjhunu MP Narendra Kumar said the farmers should adopt practices such as rainwater harvesting, bio-farming, natural farming and horticulture to make their farming sustainable. “Action plans for water conservation and optimum use of water resources will depict positive results in near future,” he said.
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Groundwater level
While the participants expressed concern over decline in groundwater level in the region, it was pointed out that Shekhawati’s first groundwater recharge well had been built in Chirawa tehsil’s Ismailpur village. With the construction of tankas (tanks) in houses, digging of ponds and irrigation by sprinklers, Ismailpur has emerged as a role model for water conservation.
Dalmia Sansthan’s trustee Raghu Hari Dalmia said the farmers could augment their income by sowing crops consuming less irrigation waters and joining collective efforts for water conservation. M.S. Rathore, Director of Jaipur-based Centre for Environment & Development Studies, said groundwater in Jhunjhunu district could touch rock bottom level by 2045 unless urgent remedial measures were taken. Krishna Kumar Jakhar, from Sriganganagar, said a return to the nature could provide some answers. Krishi Vigyan Kendra’s expert Ranjit Rathore said the farmers could rotate crops on the basis of availability of water.
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