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Traditional wisdom on managing soil and water

used method, followed by crop rotation, covering traditional methods, emphasizing sustainability and
approximately 30 million hectares and contributing efficiency. The 2010s marked the rise of precision
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nearly 55% to the effectiveness of soil management. agriculture, leveraging technology to optimize soil
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Water conservation techniques, though harder to management practices. Recent developments include
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quantify in coverage, contribute 25% due to their advanced soil testing and monitoring technologies,
importance in improving soil health. Intercropping, which provide detailed insights into soil conditions
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practiced on roughly one million hectares, accounts for and support more informed management decisions.
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20% of the overall impact. Together, these methods As of 2024, modern techniques continue to evolve,
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reflect farmers’ ecological knowledge, playing a integrating cutting-edge technologies with traditional
significant role in sustainable agricultural systems and practices to foster more sustainable and productive soil
environmental conservation across India. A distribution management strategies. A timeline of the evolution of
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chart of various traditional soil management practices is soil management practices is presented in Figure 5.
presented in Figure 4.
4. Case studies from Uttar Pradesh
3.6. Evolution of soil management practices
The evolution of soil management practices reflects Uttar Pradesh, with its diverse agroclimatic zones,
a progression from early traditional methods to showcases a variety of traditional soil management
contemporary techniques aimed at enhancing soil fertility practices that reflect the region’s rich agricultural
and sustainability. Early traditional practices, dating heritage. This section presents detailed case studies
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back to the early 1900s, primarily involved basic crop from three distinct areas within Uttar Pradesh, each
rotation and organic manuring, which were essential for highlighting the effectiveness of traditional practices
maintaining soil health in agrarian societies. 102,103 The tailored to local environmental conditions. A tabular
introduction of essential organic fertilizers around 1920 representation of the current state of scholarly work is
marked the beginning of systematic efforts to improve presented in Table 2.
soil fertility through the use of compost and green
manure. The mid-20 century witnessed the adoption 4.1. The Bundelkhand region
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th
of early modern agricultural practices, including the The Bundelkhand region, characterized by its semi-
use of synthetic fertilizers and basic irrigation systems, arid climate and frequent droughts, has a long history
which significantly transformed soil management. of employing traditional water conservation techniques
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By the 1970s, advanced traditional methods began to to combat soil erosion and sustain agriculture. Contour
emerge, refining crop rotation and organic manuring bunding is one such practice where embankments are
techniques to enhance their effectiveness. The 1980s constructed along the contour lines of slopes to capture
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introduced more sophisticated crop rotation techniques and slow down runoff water. This method reduces soil
and the integration of pest management strategies, erosion, enhances water infiltration, and contributes to
which further improved soil health. The 1990s saw the improved soil moisture retention. Research indicates
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adoption of integrated pest management, which aimed that contour bunding can significantly mitigate soil
to balance pest control with minimal chemical use. loss and improve crop yields in Bundelkhand. 21,28 In
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The turn of the millennium brought advancements in addition, the construction of small check dams, or Nadi
dams, has proven effective in capturing runoff water
and recharging groundwater levels. These check dams
help stabilize water availability for irrigation, thereby
increasing agricultural productivity. 114,115 Studies have
demonstrated that these traditional water conservation
practices in Bundelkhand have led to significant
improvements in water availability and soil health. 20,21,116

4.2. The Gangetic plains
In the Gangetic plains, known for their fertile alluvial
soils, traditional practices, such as crop rotation and
Figure 4. Distribution of traditional soil management organic manuring, play a crucial role in maintaining soil
practices fertility and productivity. Crop rotation, specifically the

Volume 22 Issue 2 (2025) 7 doi: 10.36922/AJWEP025060035