Rice-Fallow Targeting for Cropping Intensification through Geospatial Technologies in the Rice Belt of Northeast India

Rice-fallow areas have significant potential to sustainably increase agricultural intensification to address growing global food demands while simultaneously increasing farmers’ income by harnessing the residual soil moisture in rainfed ecologies. Assam is the largest rice-growing belt in northeast India during <i>kharif</i>; however, for the next <i>rabi</i> season, an average of 58% of the rice areas remain uncultivated and are described as rice-fallow (<i>Kharif</i>, <i>rabi</i> and <i>zaid</i> are the crop seasons in the study area. The <i>kharif</i> season refers to the monsoon/rainy season and corresponds to the major crop season in the region extending from June to October. The <i>rabi</i> season refers to the winter season extending from November to April, and the <i>zaid</i> season is the summer crop season from April to June). Unutilized rice-fallow areas with optimum soil moisture for a second crop were identified over three consecutive years using multiple satellite data (optical and radar) for the state of Assam and an average accuracy of 92.6%. The reasons governing the existence of rice-fallow areas were analyzed, and an average of 0.88 million ha of suitable rice-fallow areas, based on soil moisture availability, were identified. Targeted interventions were carried out in selected locations to demonstrate the potential of sustainable cropping intensification. Maize, with best management practices, and a yield between 5.5 and 6 t/ha, was demonstrated as a successful second crop during the <i>rabi</i> season in selected areas with optimum residual soil moisture after the <i>kharif</i> paddy harvest. This study highlights the significance of geospatial technology to effectively identify and target suitable rice-fallow areas for cropping intensification and to enhance productivity and profitability.