Sustainable Development in Bihar

• 13 Jun 2024

Why in News?

According to the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) at Cornell University, Bihar can make significant progress towards sustainable development by implementing three transformative technologies in the agricultural sector.

Key Points

• In a policy brief it is emphasised that Bihar can reduce the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions associated with rice and livestock production while maintaining or even improving productivity.
• The policy brief discusses a study carried out within TCI’s Zero-Hunger, Zero-Carbon Food Systems project, which seeks to develop a strategy to decrease agricultural emissions in Bihar while maintaining productivity levels. 
  • Agriculture accounts for 20% of India's GHG emissions nationally, with Bihar being one of the states significantly affected by malnutrition, especially among young children.
• According to TCI research, Bihar could reduce emissions by 9.4-11.2 metric tons each year by adopting alternate wetting and drying for paddy cultivation, advanced artificial insemination for cattle breeding, and anti-methanogenic feed supplements in its livestock sector.
• Research shows that alternate wetting and drying, advanced breeding techniques, and anti-methanogenic feeds can help Bihar to lower its agricultural emissions without damaging productivity.
  • The policy presented a breakdown of emissions reductions for each of Bihar’s four agroclimatic zones. For alternate wetting and drying, Bihar’s southwest and northwest zones have the highest potential mitigation levels.
    • Bihar’s Four Agroclimatic Zones: Zone-I, North Alluvial Plain, Zone-II, north East Alluvial Plain, Zone-III A South East Alluvial Plain and Zone-III B, South West Alluvial Plain

Note

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed an anti-methanogenic feed supplement ‘Harit Dhara’ (HD), which can cut down cattle methane emissions by 17-20% and can also result in higher milk production.