Conservation agriculture in India-Problems,prospects and policy issues

Conservation agriculture(CA)technologies involve minimum soil disturbance,permanent soil cover through crop residues or cover crops,and crop rotations for achieving higher productivity.In India,efforts to develop,refine and disseminate conservation-based agricultural technologies have been underway for nearly two decades and made significant progress since then even though there are several constraints that affect adoption of CA.Particularly,tremendous efforts have been made on no-till in wheat under a rice-wheat rotation in the Indo-Gangetic plains.There are more payoffs than tradeoffs for adoption of CA but the equilibrium among the two was understood by both adopters and promoters.The technologies of CA provide opportunities to reduce the cost of production,save water and nutrients,increase yields,increase crop diversification,improve efficient use of resources,and benefit the environment.However,there are still constraints for promotion of CA technologies,such as lack of appropriate seeders especially for small and medium scale farmers,competition of crop residues between CA use and livestock feeding,burning of crop residues,availability of skilled and scientific manpower and overcoming the bias or mindset about tillage.The need to develop the policy frame and strategies is urgent to promote CA in the region.This article reviews the emerging concerns due to continuous adoption of conventional agriculture systems,and analyses the constraints,prospects,policy issues and research needs for conservation agriculture in India.

China's Wind Power in Rapid Progressing

China’s wind power has gone through an exploring course of 20 years. At present, it is on the fast track under the support of the state’s preferential policies concerned. The various wind power development areas in China have made rapid progress and put forward their own thinking of developing wind energy.

China’s Nuclear Policy:Basic Logic and Prospect

China has adopted remarkably distinct policies in the development,deployment and employment of nuclear forces compared with that of other nuclear powers,and its internal logic is also quite different from that of other nuclear powers.Since the acquisition of nuclear capability,the external security environment facing China has undergone many crucial changes.China’s economic and technological capabilities have also made considerable progress,but its changed internal and external environment has not significantly impacted China’s nuclear policy.China’s nuclear policy is generally stable,but there are also subtle and slow adjustments.These adjustments include a gradual increase in transparency in nuclear policy,and China has made some limited efforts to enhance the viability of its smaller nuclear forces in order to ensure the credibility and reliability of its nuclear deterrence.China’s cognition of nuclear weapons and the experience and lessons of the nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War period had influenced China’s nuclear policy.If the international situation and external environment do not change significantly,and China’s confidence in its nuclear deterrent credibility remains unchanged,China will maintain its current asymmetric deterrent capability.