With reference to the circumstances in Indian agriculture, the concept of “Conservation Agriculture” assumes significance. Which of the following fall under the Conservation Agriculture?
- 1.Avoiding the monoculture practices
- 2.Adopting minimum tillage
- 3.Avoiding the cultivation of plantation crops
- 4.Using crop residues to cover soil surface
- 5.Adopting spatial and temporal crop sequencing/crop rotations
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) 2, 4 and 5
Why not the tempting option · UPSC's key is (c). Statement 3 is plainly wrong — Conservation Agriculture governs how soil and crops are managed, not which crops may be grown — and every option other than (c) includes it, so the answer is settled whatever one makes of statement 1. 'Avoiding monoculture' is close to FAO's diversification principle, but FAO states that principle as rotations and associations of at least three crop species (statement 5), and no option pairs 1 with 2, 4 and 5 without 3. In the exam, eliminate by the clearly wrong statement first.
Conservation Agriculture (CA) rests on three practices: minimum soil disturbance (minimum or no tillage), a permanent organic cover on the soil (crop residues or mulch), and diversification of crops through rotations and associations. Statements 2, 4 and 5 are these three practices; nothing in CA asks farmers to stop growing plantation crops, and every option except (c) includes that wrong statement 3.
- ✗ 1. Not counted by UPSC's key. FAO states its diversification principle positively — rotations and associations of at least three crop species — which is statement 5; 'avoiding monoculture' is not listed as a separate practice, and no option combines 1 with 2, 4 and 5 without the wrong statement 3.
- ✓ 2. Minimum mechanical soil disturbance, meaning low-disturbance no-till or direct seeding, is the first CA principle.
- ✗ 3. CA is a way of managing the soil and crops, not a restriction on crop type. None of its principles asks a farmer to avoid plantation crops.
- ✓ 4. Keeping the soil covered with crop residue or other organic material (permanent soil organic cover) is the second CA principle.
- ✓ 5. Species diversification through crop rotation or association is the third CA principle; FAO asks for at least three different crop species in the rotation.
Remember · Conservation Agriculture = minimum soil disturbance + permanent soil cover + crop rotation or diversification; CA restricts how soil is managed, not which crops are grown.
Sources
- FAO: What is Conservation Agriculture? ↗ “It promotes maintenance of a permanent soil cover, minimum soil disturbance, and diversification of plant species.”
- FAO: Conservation Agriculture principles ↗ “Species diversification: Rotation/association should involve at least 3 different crop species.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·