Integrated Climate-Resilient Practices for Enhancing Yield and Water Productivity of Rice in Rainfed Saline-Affected Coastal Ecosystem of Odisha, India

Abstract

Coastal agricultural system in Odisha faces significant challenges from soil salinity, water scarcity and climate variability. This study evaluated integrated climate-resilient agricultural practices for enhancing yield, water productivity and economic returns in rainfed saline-affected coastal rice ecosystems. A two-year study (2023 and 2024) was conducted in Achhutadaspur village of Erasama Block, Jagatsinghpur district, Odisha, under the NICRA-TDC project. The experiment compared traditional practices with various combinations of interventions including deep ploughing, green manuring with Sesbania aculeata, salt-tolerant rice variety and integrated water management with farm pond. Data on yield, water productivity, soil health parameters and economic indicators were collected and analyzed. The full integrated package with deep ploughing, green manuring, salt-tolerant rice variety and supplemental irrigation from farm pond (T₅) significantly increased rice yield from 3050 kg/ha (T₁) to 4350 kg/ha (42.6% increase) and net returns from Rs 24,650/ha to Rs 44,550/ha (80.7% increase). The benefit-cost ratio improved from 1.54 to 1.80. Irrigation water productivity reached 3.95 kg/m³, while total water productivity improved from 0.29 kg/m³ to 0.38 kg/m³. Economic water productivity increased by 63.6%, from Rs 2.36/m³ to Rs 3.86/m³. The farm pond infrastructure demonstrated a payback period of 3.5 years with an internal rate of return of 25.96%. Soil health parameters showed remarkable improvement, with the integrated package reducing soil EC by 25% and increasing organic carbon by 26.3% compared to traditional practice. The integration of soil health management, salt-tolerant variety and water harvesting structures significantly enhances rice-based ecosystem resilience in coastal saline environments. This approach effectively addresses dual challenges of soil salinity and water scarcity while improving farmers' livelihoods, offering a replicable model for similar coastal regions. This experiment has been conducted in the farmers’ field; it can also be studied in the research plots to have better control on the treatments.