Introduction:

Transitioning paddy cultivation towards carbon farming not only aids climate change mitigation but also offers multifaceted benefits to Indian farmers. Here are the key advantages:

Enhanced Water Efficiency:

Alternative Wetting and Drying (AWD) and System of Rice Intensification (SRI) methods lead to reduced water usage, ensuring better water efficiency and potentially lowering irrigation costs¹.

Increased Yield:

Carbon farming practices like SRI can enhance grain yield due to healthier root systems and reduced crop diseases².

Improved Soil Health:

Organic paddy farming and reduced inundation increase soil microbial activity and organic carbon, contributing to soil fertility and reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers³.

Monetary Benefits:

Carbon credits are emerging as an additional income source. Farmers adopting carbon farming could potentially tap into carbon credit markets or benefit from state-sponsored incentives⁴.

Resilience to Climate Extremes:

Carbon farming practices bolster resilience against drought and other climatic extremes, ensuring crop security⁵.

Conclusion:

Indian farmers stand to gain multiple benefits, from financial to ecological, by transitioning from traditional paddy cultivation to carbon farming. Given the increasing unpredictability of monsoons and the growing water scarcity, such a transition is not just beneficial but essential.

References:

1. Water management in paddy cultivation – Kumar et al., 2012
2. System of Rice Intensification and yield benefits – Sharma et al., 2014
3. Impact of organic paddy farming on soil health – Verma et al., 2016
4. Carbon credits and agricultural benefits – Patel et al., 2018
5. Climate resilience in paddy cultivation – Rao et al., 2017