Farmers in Punjab are shifting to environmentally sustainable rice cultivation methods.

Punjab provides about 31 percent of India's total rice production, which plays an important role in the implementation of the National Food Security Scheme. However, rice is not a natural crop for this region: with over 1500 mm of rainfall required for traditional cultivation, Punjab receives an average of only 550 mm. The lack of moisture is compensated by intensive water extraction from underground reservoirs, which have been depleting for the last 50 years. According to the Central Ground Water Board, if current consumption rates continue, water reserves at depths of up to 1000 feet could disappear by 2039.

The alarming trend in groundwater levels, which have dropped from 40 feet in 2000 to 400 feet today, has forced farmers and planners to reconsider their approaches to agronomy. Previously, rice cultivation technologies, including weed control, fertilizer application, and insect control, were based on standing water conditions. Now, experts and farmers are shifting to methods that do not require constant field flooding.

One such strategy is Direct Seeded Rice (DSR), which reduces water consumption by 30 percent by eliminating the seedling preparation and transplanting stages. Further moisture savings of up to 60 percent are provided by the Seeded Rice on Beds (SRB) method. The Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) technique is also being applied. According to government data, in the current Kharif season, the area under direct seeded rice, including SRB, increased by 36 percent and reached 4 lakh acres. These figures do not include areas where AWD methods and early-maturing rice cultivars are used, which indicates a gradual shift in the agricultural production model from an exploitative to a sustainable one.