Conservation Agriculture for Soil Health and Carbon Sequestration in the Indian Himalayan Region

Abstract

Mountains the most significant agro-ecosystems that directly or indirectly support human life. The areas surrounding the hills are abundant in biodiversity and have enormous potential for sustaining Indian agriculture. It has been widely recognised that the ecological fragility and sensitivity of the Himalayas to climatic aberrations, topography, peculiar geographical features, and some of the particular identified problems, which may be soil loss, runoff, steep slopes, acidity of soils, and loss of soil nutrients, form it a very distinct region as opposed to plains in terms of socioeconomic situation. Conventional agriculture was one of the best aspects of food production during the green revolution and after India gained its independence for securing food and nutrition through intensive agricultural practices, but on the flip side, it has simultaneous effects on resource degradation and soil biodiversity. The need for food and fodder, an ever-growing population, the preservation of soil biodiversity, declining soil health, climate change, the use of unbalanced fertilisers, and decreased farm profitability all call for a paradigm shift in the agriculture sector. On the other hand, increasing the intensity of the hillside agriculture system without implementing any conservation measures greatly increases the likelihood of disastrous conditions. Conservation agriculture has long been known to improve soil health and sustain agricultural production systems by reducing environmental footprints. Between the atmosphere and the lithosphere, numerous biological and physical processes are regulated by soils. An integral aspect of soil that promotes agricultural sustainability is soil health. However, each measurement of a specific soil health parameter is always tied to a unique set of circumstances. A fundamental concern in maintaining soil health to feed an expanding population is resource conservation. Climate change is a topic of discussion on a worldwide scale in the current globalisation context. The greenhouse effect is best for life but only up to a point beyond which it becomes dangerous. Due to urbanisation, changes in land use, cropping patterns, and other factors, human influences on climate change go beyond the range of natural fluctuation. Climate change in the soil system is significantly influenced by carbon regulation in the soil. The rate of organic matter decomposition is accelerated by an increase in mean annual temperature, which affects aggregate stability, water storage capacity, and nutrient balance— all of which are crucial for healthy soil structure, soil fertility, productivity, and sustainability. In actuality, soil bacteria break down organic materials, but a change in temperature regime may change the microbial population. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023.