Sustainability of Alternative Cropping System in Cotton Belt of Punjab

Sustainable agriculture not only involves identification and application of improved technologies for higher yield but also ecological and socio-economic concerns.Such a development is non- degradable,technically O.K,economically viable and socially accepted over the long period of time. However to ensure food security,the Green Revolution has resulted in unsustainable agriculture in almost all the regions/states.They experienced depleting water table,deteriorating soil health, declining forest cover and increasing pollution of water and air. In fact,this is common among the countries wherever the green revolution led agricultural strategy has been implemented. The book clarifies that at the present state of the art,yield level and support price, no alternative crop system could replace the paddy-wheat and cotton-wheat cropping system in the South-West Punjab.But these crops have an edge in terms of resource-use and are more eco-friendly.In view of the resource use crisis there is an urgent need to develop alternative cropping system by strengthening R & D and viable minimum support price, which could save Punjab from turning into a dark zone.