In recognition of its role in charting a course toward more ecology-friendly, higher-producing and cost effective agriculture among the resource-poor farmers of South Asia, the Rice-Wheat Consortium for the Indo-Gangetic Plains (RWC) was awarded the King Baudouin prize 2003-04 on No- Till technology in rice-wheat on farmers' fields, by the global science and development community. The ceremony was attended by 1,000 international agricultural research and development specialists in Mexico City, Mexico.

Rice Wheat consortium (RWC), which Dr R.K. Gupta coordinates through CIMMYT office India for the Indo-Gangetic Plains, is an eco regional program of CGIAR, which includes the National Agricultural Research Systems of Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan; international centers of the CGIAR (CIMMYT, IRRI, ICRISAT, CIP and IWMI) and other advanced international institutions (Cornell University, IAC, Wageningen, IACR, Rothamsted Research, CABI-UK, CSIRO, ACIAR and the IAEA).
 

On this achievement the support and endless contribution of all the above mentioned Institutions and NARS and SAUs in the mentioned countries and Indian State Agriculture Universities: Haryana Agriculture University, G.B. Pant University, Rajindra Agriculture University, Banaras Agricultural University, Punjab Agriculture University and many others, is duly appreciated and acknowledged.
 

“The impact is tremendous. We're talking about a region that cuts across four countries Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan- and is home to hundreds of millions, many of whom live in extreme poverty,” says Dr Mangala Rai, Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and member of the RWC steering committee, who accepted the award on behalf of his colleagues on 27 October 2004 at Mexico. “Consortium efforts have already benefited 2,50,000 farm households regionwide. Impact down the road could be in line of the Green Revolution of the 1970s.”
 

A negative consequence is that water tables across South Asia are dropping fast from excessive water being drawn for irrigation and degraded soils are becoming common as farmers apply more and more fertilizer to obtain good harvests.

In response to the situation, the consortium promotes numerous ecological farming practices that save time, fuel, water and other inputs and foster more resilient cropping systems. One such practice - zero-till: sowing wheat seed directly into rice fields after rice harvest, without plowing at all- was used on nearly 1.2 million hectares in 2003-04, up from practically nothing just a few years ago. Net benefits in India and Pakistan, the major players through higher yields and lower land preparation costs, amounted to more than USD 100 million in the winter season of 2003 alone. The practice saves more than 50 litres of diesel fuel per hectare totaling 75 million litres across the region, equal to more than USD 40 million in aggregate savings and also helps avoid the release of huge amounts of harmful greenhouse gases.

(RWC, CIMMYT, NASC, Pusa, Delhi)
 

1. Rural transporter:

The University has developed a Rural transporter, which is a two-wheeler having versatile hitching arrangement that can be quickly fitted to any bicycle. It can carry 120 kg weight with a speed of 10 to 12 km/h on kaccha or metalled road. It can accommodate bulky material up to 1 cubic meter. Its cost is Rs 1,500.

2. Agricultural residue shredder:

The farmers burn most of the agricultural residues on the field after harvesting the crops, resulting in losses of organic matter and fuel, and creation of environmental pollution. By shredding these residues can be converted into compost, white coal, cattle feed, fuel, manure, mulcher and raw material for industries. This machine can be operated with 5 to 6 hp diesel engine, shredder electric motor or tractor PTO shaft It consumes 1 litre diesel/hr. The stalks of crops like castor, cotton and pigeonpea can be shredded up to the length of 10-75 mm. Its shredding capacity is 200 kg/hr, and it reduces the shredded material to one-fifth the original volume. The machine with compact diesel engine costs Rs 40,000.