Patna: Climate-resilient farming, introduced in Bihar in 2019-20, is showing tangible gains with notable improvements in soil health and resource efficiency over five years.According to the agriculture department, organic matter and nitrogen content in soil have risen by nearly 20%, while phosphorus and potash levels have improved by around 10% each, indicating steady gains in soil fertility. Officials said such measures will help tackle climate change and make farming more sustainable and viable.The pH value of soil has improved by about 5%, now ranging between 6.02 and 8.29. The adoption of zero tillage and crop residue management has played a key role in increasing nitrogen levels. Available phosphorus has risen by 10%, while potash levels have also recorded a similar increase.Launched as a pilot in 2019-20, the programme now covers 190 villages across 38 districts. Between 2019 and 2025, climate-resilient practices were implemented on about 2.63 lakh acre during kharif, rabi and summer seasons.Water conservation has emerged as a major outcome. The initiative has saved an estimated 48.47 billion litres of water in paddy, 8.91 billion litres in wheat and 8.42 billion litres in maize cultivation. Input costs have also reduced, with savings of around 6.28 lakh litres of fuel and Rs 316.6 million in labour expenses.Technological interventions supported the effort, including sowing of wheat using the Happy Seeder and production of straw bales and biochar to improve soil quality.
