Circular halophytes mixed farming (CHMF) to improve food security in salt-affected irrigated arid and semi-arid ecosystems

Abstract

The overall premise of this study is that halophytic plants (broadly defined to highly include salt-loving wild species and salt -tolerant crops) can be cultivated to maintain agricultural productivity with food and fodder production potential of saline lands. The technologies and business models for the sustainable saline agriculture on the marginal saline lands are developed based on the concept of Circular Halophytes Mixed Farming (CHMF). CHMF focuses on the development and application of a soil-water-plant salinity dynamics model to the stimulation of the cultivation and management options over multiple growing seasons. The scheme is supposed to evaluate the potential for halophytic plants to improve the long-term food security. A dynamic economic analysis of the scheme and its implications would become an important socio-economic factor and governmental policies in the regions where cultural, and political constraints are also discussed. Field demonstrations for the alternative land use options with CHMF concept is being performed in the Shortanbay, the lower stream of Amudarya River Basin. Since halophytes are the plants capable to live in saline environments, the natural/intentional existence of this plant species can reduce the salts present in the root zone. The plants are capable to cope with the problems of salinity in various ways; some of them avoid salinity by completing their growth cycle when salinity is low (rainy periods), some can resist against salinity, and a few are tolerative against salinity. The later species can accumulate salts in their cells and/or secrete the substances through their inherent organs/salt glands/trichomes and are thus useful for reversing salinization. The idea of CHMF implies that the intentional continuous cultivation and later recovery (and/or management) of the above ground plant tissues with high salinity could reverse the salinization levels and eventually reclaim the lands with minimum salinity towards a new/remediated agricultural use. The physiological/ecological information how halophytes adapt to the saline soils is also of great interest for breeding new cultivars which can tolerate higher levels of salinity.

CCHF is expected to facilitate farms in the regions to replicate the practices which, in a long run. This also may yield increased supply of quality agricultural products for domestic market. A new strategy about scheduling irrigation and integrate surface/groundwater resources may be created based on the water and salt dynamics models. These approach and concept for the sustainable resource utilization are guided by the principle of efficiency: making an effective use of marginal land while the resources saved can be more profitably concentrated on the productive croplands.