This is the VOA SpecialEnglish Agriculture Report.
Scientists are reporting a major development in the agricultureof South Asia. The scientists say many farmers there are deciding tolimit the use of plows. They say this move could lead to improvedagriculture among farmers in Asia.
Scientists with the International Maize and Wheat ImprovementCenter made the announcement. The Center is based in Mexico.Farmersuse plows to prepare their fields for planting crops. Plows cut intothe ground and lift up weeds and other unwanted plants. However,plowing is blamed for causing severe damage to topsoil by removingthe plants that protect the soil from being blown or washed away.
The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center supports aprocess called low-till farming. Low-till farming limits the use ofplows. In this method of farming, seeds and fertilizer are put intothe soil through small cuts made in the surface of the ground.
The Center says low-till agriculture leaves much or all of thesoil and remains of plants on the ground. They serve as a naturalfertilizer and help support the roots of future crops. They protectthe rich topsoil. They take in rain and allow it to flow into thesoil instead of running off. The Center says low-till farmingincreases harvests and reduces water use. And it says this methodreduces the need for chemical products because there are fewerunwanted plants.
The scientists say low-till farming is becoming popular inBangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan. They note that South Asia isfacing an extreme lack of water crisis. They say the area willbecome dependent on imported food unless water is saved throughmethods like low-till farming.
Currently, more than one-hundred-fifty-million people in SouthAsia depend on local rice and wheat crops. Farmers grow rice duringwet weather. During the dry season, they grow wheat in the samefields. Farmers are using the low-till method to plant wheat afterharvesting rice. Scientists report that this method is increasing inIndia and Pakistan. For example, areas using low-till farmingincreased from three-thousand hectares in Nineteen-Ninety-Nine toone-hundred-thousand hectares this year.
Scientists say low-till agriculture is one of the best examplesin the world of technologies working for both people and theenvironment.
This VOA Special English AGRICULTURE REPORT was written by GeorgeGrow.