Development strategies of small scale conservation farming practices on two wheeled tractor in Bangladesh

Abstract

Conservation farming (CF) is an important profitable and competitive agriculture. It is essential for smallholder farming in South Asia. Small farmers use two wheeled tractor small seeders due to the fact that they are more cost effective. This review paper aims to assess the practices of small scale CF farm machinery for two-wheeled tractor and to develop strategies for small scale CF in Bangladesh. Research and development works on conservation farming has started and shown that it is possible to increase the soil fertility and crop productivity. Two-wheeled tractor operated small no-till seeders have increased in the last decade. Two wheeled power tiller operated seeders, zero till-seeders, strip till-seeders and bed planter had been tested in the farmer’s field and crop yields were found more than farmer’s conventional practice. The field performances of these small seeders were found satisfactory as compared to farmer’s conventional practice. Considerable amount of planting cost could be saved by introducing CF. Crop residue controls weed growth and N uptake was found significantly higher under mulching as compared to conventional tillage practices. Increased sustainability of conservation farming systems can be established through implementation of development strategies for profitable production with concern of ecological and socioeconomic conditions in Bangladesh. Key words: Conservation farming, minimum tillage, small-scale farming, two wheeled tractor.