Unlocking production potential of degraded coastal land through innovative land management practices: a synthesis.

Coastal land resources are vulnerable to various processes of land degradation like salinization, waterlogging, drainage congestion, etc. Unlocking the production potential of degraded land in coastal region is the biggest challenge towards achieving regional food security as well as contributing to national food basket. Implementing innovative land management practices like land shaping technique (LST) in combination with productive utilization opportunities of the coastal areas are major concerns. Different land shaping techniques like farm pond; deep furrow and high ridge; shallow furrow and medium ridge; paddy-cum-fish cultivation; broad bed and furrow; three tier-pair beds and brackish water aquaculture pond techniques for improving drainage facility; rain water harvesting; salinity reduction; and cultivation of crops and fish (freshwater and brackish water fish) for livelihood and environmental security were tested on about 400 ha salt-affected land in Sundarbans region of Ganges delta (West Bengal) and Tsunami affected areas in Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The results have been summarized. Raising of land and creating water harvesting structures reduced the problem of drainage congestion during kharif season and this provided the scope for growing high value crops like vegetables during this season and it also facilitated early sowing of rabi crops. Salinity building up in the soil of different land situations especially medium land and highland/ridges/ dikes in land shaped area was reduced and, fertility status and biological activities in soil were increased under land shaping techniques. The cropping intensity increased up to 240 % from a base level value of 100%. Land shaping techniques have increased the employment and income of the households by many times. Net income per ha of farm land increased from Rs 22000 to Rs 1,23,000 in Sundarbans and Rs 22400 to Rs 1,90,000 in Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Brackishwater aquaculture was demonstrated through shaping of land into more than 110 shallow depth ponds in Sundarbans particularly near the brackish water rivers. Farmers were benefitted from this technique with a net income of about Rs 1,43,000 ha-1 of pond area. Land shaping techniques were financially viable and attractive proposition for the coastal region. However, major constraints for adoption of land-shaping techniques were marginal land holdings that too divided into several parcels, high initial investment, presence of acid sulphate soils near surface or at shallow depth at places, and distance from residential village