Change the World One Paddy Field at A Time: How You Can Support Sustainable Agriculture

⦁ Cultivating paddy is one of the most challenging and risky tasks for a farmer. It requires careful planning, execution, and monitoring to ensure that the crop thrives in the farm and generates enough returns for the investment made. A well-researched decision can help you avoid future regrets. There are several pros and cons associated with paddy cultivation that will help you understand its risks better. Let’s take a closer look at these factors to see if paddy is worth growing in your farm.

currently China is the foremost rice producing country among all countries. It's about 30% of all others.

The Pros and Cons of Paddy Cultivation: The Biggest Influencers for A Farmer's Choice

Rice is the staple diet of humankind and has been cultivated for millennia. Rice has been grown for many years as a result of technological advancements. Is it possible to approach rice cultivation in a different manner? The answers to these questions will dictate whether rice cultivation is a worthwhile investment. There are a number of problems that arise when cultivating rice, and one of them is whether the time and effort are worth the cost. Identifying the most recent varieties of seeds, the kind of fertilizers used, and the least education required to produce rice, among other things, is key. The quantity of rice produced and its quality, how to guide rice growers, and many other concerns must be looked at. It seems that by properly employing it, a farmer can be induced to grow rice in certain methods beyond the current method.

• Sustainable paddy cultivation 

Sustainable agriculture is not a new concept. In fact, farmers have been using principles of sustainability for thousands of years to ensure their practices did not deplete the soil or exhaust groundwater resources. The challenge today is that current industrial agricultural practices are unsustainable and put tremendous pressure on our natural resources. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN estimates that we need to double food production by 2050 to feed a growing world population. However, instead of focusing on ways to increase crop yields while reducing resource inputs, many companies and investors continue to pursue factory-based mechanized agribusinesses with little regard for environmental impact or long-term viability. This article details why it’s time to change the way we farm, and how you can support sustainable agriculture in your local community, wherever you live, or even at home if you have a small plot of land!

sustainable paddy cultivation in Sri Lanka......

 In Sri Lanka, we are doing ecofriendly measures to make rice farming sustainable.

In eco-friendly farming, almost all the necessary components are obtained from the surrounding environment. It has components such as multi-crop cultivation, soil conservation, good water management, promotion of favorable organisms for farming, pest control by mechanical methods and favorable animals.

Know about the latest cultivation practices before making a choice...... 

1. Markets for crops
2. The nature of soil
3. Amount of water received
4. Potential for higher yields
5. Ability to withstand weather conditions such as drought and floods
6. Disease resistance

• Nutrients

Nutrient elements......

There are many nutrients required for cultivation. Carbon, hydrogen, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur are essential nutrients among them. Among all the above, carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen are obtained from the atmosphere and water. Elements are required for biochemical reactions in plants and as enzymes. Most of these nutrients are absorbed by the plant from air, water, or soil and should be given as fertilizers to avoid deficiencies in its growth.

Nutrient deficiencies

✔ Phosphorus

The trees are abnormally stunted. The leaves turn dark green, and the lower leaves turn orange. The grain filling is reduced, and the yield is reduced.

✔ 

Potassium

The leaves turn dark green and fall. The tips of the leaves turn yellow, and the edges become dry and brown. The growth is stunted, and the plant becomes stunted. Easily susceptible to insect pests

✔ 

Magnesium

When reduced, the stalk does not grow tall. No bushes. The leaves are yellow between the veins. Photosynthesis is reduced. The hardiness of the plant is low.

✔ Calcium

When reduced, the leaves turn white and curl into a sickle shape. The leaf tip is dead. Root growth is younger.

✔ Iron

Young leaves turn yellow. Leaves are dark green in color. Iron toxicity is common in paddy fields in the wet zone.

✔ Boron

Apical buds become discolored and die. Young leaves are yellow between the veins. Leaves are curved.

✔ Copper

Leaf tip chlorosis occurs. Newly formed leaves do not unfold.

✔ Manganese

Culms are short. The veins appear like a dark green net. Young leaves are yellow in color.

✔ zinc

Veins becomes chlorotic and then develops brown spots on the leaf.

✔ Molybdenum

Mature leaves turn light green to yellow. Leaves turn orange and die

✔ Silicone 

Leaves and stem are less stiff. broke down. It decreases photosynthesis

✔ Sulfur 

Young leaves turn light green. The veins turn pale yellow.

✔ Nitrogen 

Mature leaves are yellow. The plant is short. The leaves are straight.

A paddy growing in a fertile field with sufficient nutrients required by a plant has the following characteristics. 

1. The tree is healthy
2. Well spread root system
3. The rice pods are filled with seeds
4. Does not fall in the wind
5. Not susceptible to diseases

Diseases and deficiencies are some of the cases that weaken the plant in paddy cultivation. In addition to this, the damage caused by weather and climate change and the damage caused by weeds cause the decrease in the yield of the plant. Diseases are caused by outside animals and spread by microbes, animals and water. Deficiency occurs because the plant does not get enough fertilizer. If there is a toxic condition in the soil, the plant will be weak in such situations.