Greening Rice-Fallow Areas: Integrating Pulses and Oilseeds for Sustainable Cropping in Eastern India

Rakesh Kumar¹Anup Das¹Anil Kumar Singh²Pravin Kumar Upadhyay^3*JS Mishra⁴AK Biswas⁵Sanjay Singh Rathore³RAJIV KUMAR SINGH³Puspa Parameswari³Jaipal S. Choudhary¹Surajit Mondal⁶Dhiraj Kumar Singh¹Arbind Kumar Choudhary¹Santosh Kumar¹Sanjeev Kumar¹Akram Ahmad¹Kirti Saurabh¹Kumari Shubha¹Ajay Kumar¹Manibhushan Manibhushan¹Prem Kumar Sundaram¹Pawan Jeet¹Ved Prakash¹Bal Krishna Jha¹Sushanta Kumar Naik¹Santosh Mali¹Rakesh Kumar¹Surendra Kumar Ahirwal¹Vinod Kumar Singh⁷Devendra Mandal²Manoj Kumar Roy²Bhagwati Prasad Bhatt⁸Sudhir Rajpoot⁹Suresh Kumar Chaudhari⁸

• ¹ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patana, Bihar, India
• ²Department agronomy, Bihar agricultural unversity, Bhagalpur, Bihar, India
• ³Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR), New Delhi, India
• ⁴Directorate of Weed Research, Indian Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology (ICAR), Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India
• ⁵Indian Institute of Soil Science (ICAR), Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
• ⁶Central Citrus Research Institute (ICAR), Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
• ⁷Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (ICAR), Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
• ⁸Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, Delhi, India
• ⁹Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

Rice-fallow areas, widespread in rainfed rice-growing regions of South Asia, remain uncultivated during the post-rainy (winter) season due to multiple challenges, including inadequate irrigation infrastructure, the cultivation of long-duration rice varieties, and soil moisture imbalances. South Asia has approximately 22.3 million hectares of rice-fallow land, with India contributing the largest share (88.3%). Eastern Indian states, which account for 82% of India’s rice-fallow area, presents significant opportunities for agricultural intensification. However, several constraints—such as biotic (pest and disease) -, abiotic stresses (temperature extremes, drought ,etc.), rapid soil moisture depletion, and disturbances from free-grazing livestock-hinder efforts to cultivate a second crop, perpetuating poverty among small and marginal farmers. Introducing stress-tolerant rabi crops, particularly pulses (chickpea, lentil, lathyrus, field pea) and oilseeds (mustard, toria, safflower, linseed), offers a promising solution to enhance agricultural productivity and improve farmers’livelihoods. Policymakers have recently increased public investment in rice-fallow intensification, yet fragmented and ad-hoc initiatives often fail to deliver sustainable outcomes due to the complex, multidimensional challenges involved. This study critically examines the key issues affecting rice-fallow lands and provides strategic recommendations to convert these underutilized areas into productive cropping systems during winter and spring. Additionally, it reviews Central and State Government programs related to rice-fallow management, emphasizing the need for research to align with ongoing policy initiatives for maximum impact. The findings of this study offer valuable insights for policymakers, planners, and stakeholders, highlighting the potential of pulses and oilseeds to enhance food security, reduce poverty, and promote sustainable, climate-resilient agricultural systems in the region.