Abstract

The article delves into the Agroecology concepts aimed at providing alternatives for lowinput dryland farming with a history of low groundnut yield in the semiarid regions of Andhra Pradesh. It examines evidence-based agroecology concepts for rainfed groundnut farming, particularly focusing on the high instability of the yield index in Anantapur district. This is achieved through a detailed analysis of rainfall patterns and soil characteristics to determine the suitability of the region for groundnut cultivation. The study spans a period of 45 years (1966 to 2010) and reveals that the rainfall distribution is highly irregular, with pronounced seasonality and extended dry periods, as indicated by a seasonality index ranging from 0.8 to 0.99. By conducting a thorough analysis of rainfall data, three distinct clusters and two principal components were identified, highlighting the variability in both inter and intra seasonal rains. Furthermore, the evaluation of the soil map, which consists of 36 soil mapping units, indicates that only 29.7% of the total area is moderately suitable for groundnut cultivation, while 43% is considered marginally suitable. The unsuitability of the remaining area is attributed to factors such as moisture stress, prolonged dry spells, shallow soils, gravelly and stony surfaces, as well as severely eroded granite landscapes. Considering these findings, the analysis underscores the importance of exploring agroecological alternatives to mitigate these challenges, conserve land resources, and ultimately enhance groundnut yield in the region.

• 1.   Akanmu, A.O.; Akol, A.M.; Ndolo, D.O.; Kutu, F.R.; Babalola, O.O. Agroecological techniques: Adoption of safe and sustainableagricultural practices among the smallholder farmers in Africa. Front. Sustain. Food Syst. 2023, 7, 1143061. [CrossRef].
• 2.   Altieri, M. A. Green deserts: Monocultures and their impacts on biodiversity. First published in December 2009; 67.
• 3.   Altieri, M. A. Agroecology: the science of sustainable agriculture. CRC Press. 2018
• 4.   Bapuji Rao, B., Ramana Rao, B.V., Subba Rao, A.V.M., Manikandan, N., Narasimha Rao, S.B.S., Rao, V.U.M., Venkateswarlu, B. Assessment of the impact of increasing temperature and rainfall variability on crop productivity in drylands — an illustrative approach. Research Bulletin 1/2011Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Santosh Nagar, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India 2011; 32 pp.
• 5.   Bezner Kerr, R., Madsen, S., Stüber, M., Liebert, J., Enloe, S., Borghino, N., Parros, P., Mutyambai, D. M., Prudhon, M., Wezel, A. Can agroecology improve food security and nutrition? A review. In Global Food Security.2021; 29. Elsevier B.V. https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2021.100540.
• 6.   Bhaskar, B.P., Nagaraju, M.S.S. Characterization of some salt affected soils occurring in Chitravathi river basin, Andhra Pradesh. Indian Soc. Soil Sci.1998, 46(3):416-421.
• 7.   Bhattacharya, A. Changing environmental conditions and phosphorus-use efficiency in plants. Changing Climate and Resource Use Efficiency in Plants, 2019; 241–305.
• 8.   Bi, Y., Zhou, P., Li, S., Wei, Y., Xiong, X., Shi, Y., Liu, N., & Zhang, Y. Interspecific interactions contribute to higher forage yield and are affected by phosphorus application in a fully mixed perennial legume and grass intercropping system. Field Crops Research, 2019; 244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. fcr.2019.107636.
• 9.   Blessing, D. J., Gu, Y., Cao, M., Cui, Y., Wang, X., & Asante-Badu, B. (2022). Overview of the advantages and limitations of maize-soybean intercropping in sustainable agriculture and prospects: A review. In Chilean Journal of Agricultural Research,2022; 82 (1): 177–188. Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuaria’s, INIA. https://doi.org/10.4067/ S0718-58392022000100177.
• 10.   Cuddy, J. D. A. and Della Valle, P. A.1978.Measuring the instability in timeseries data. Oxford B. Econ. Stat. 40(1):79-85.
• 11.   Dekker, M., Van Donselaar, K and Ouwehand, P.2004. “How to use aggregation and combined forecasting to improve seasonal demand forecasts,” Int J Prod Econ, vol. 90, no. 2, pp. 151–167, Jul. 2004, doi: 10.1016/j.ijpe.2004.02.004.
• 12.   pp. 151–167, Jul. 2004, doi: 10.1016/j.ijpe.2004.02.004. 12. DoAC&FW. (2019). Agriculture census: 2015–16. New Delhi, Agriculture Census Division, Department of Agriculture, Co-operation & FarmersWelfare,Ministry of Agriculture and
• 13.   Dudhat, A.S., Pushpa Yadav and Venu Jayakanth, B. 2017. A Statistical Analysis on Instability and Seasonal Component in the Price Series of Major Domestic Groundnut Markets in India. Int.J.Curr. Microbiol.App.Sci. 6(11): 815-823. doi: https:// doi. org/10.20546/ijcmas.2017.611.096
• 14.   Elouattassi, Y., Ferioun, M., Ghachtouli, N.EI., Derraz, K., Rachidi, F. Agroecological concepts and alternatives to the problems of contemporary agriculture: Monoculture and chemical fertilization in the context of climate change. JAEID, 2023; 117(2): 41 –98DOI:10.36253/jaeid-14672.
• 15.   Gao, F., Xiaoling, C., Yang, W., Wang, W., Lijiang, S., Xiaolong, Z., Liu, Y., Tian, Y. Statistical characteristics, trends, and variability of rainfall in Shanxi province, China, during the period 1957–2019, Theor. Appl. Climatol. 2022;148: 955–966, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-022-03924-w.
• 16.   Gardner,E.S. 1985. “Exponential Smoothing: The State of the Art,” 1985.
• 17.   Gliessman, S.R. Agroecology: The Ecology of Sustainable Food Systems, 3rd ed.; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, USA, 2014.
• 18.   Harvey, C. A., Chacón, M., Donatti, C. I., Garen, E., Hannah, L., Andrade, A., Bede, L., Brown, D., Calle, A., Chará, J. Climate-smart landscapes: opportunities and challenges for integrating adaptation and mitigation in tropical agriculture. Conservation Letters, 2014; 7(2):77–90. https://doi. org/10.1111/conl.12066.
• 19.   Hong, Z., Mkonda, M. Y., He, X. Conservation agriculture for environmental sustainability in a semiarid agroecological zone under climate change scenarios. Sustainability, 2018; 10(5):1430.
• 20.   Iqbal, N., Hussain, S., Ahmed, Z., Yang, F., Wang, X., Liu, W., Yong, T., Du, J., Shu, K., & Yang, W. Comparative analysis of maize–soybean strip intercropping systems: A review. Plant Production Science, 2019; 22(2):131–142. https://doi. org/10.1080/1343943X. 2018.1541137.
• 21.   Kadiyala, M.D.M.; Nedumaran S., Piara Singh, Chukka S., Mohammad A. I, Bantilan, M.C.S. An integrated crop model and GIS decision support system for assisting agronomic decision making under climate change. Science of the total Env ironment.2015;521-522:123-134.http://dx.doi. org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.03. 097
• 22.   Kanellopoulou EA 2002 Spatial distribution of rainfall seasonality in Greece; Weather, 57:215–219.
• 23.   Kokeb, Z.B., Tamene, A.D., Fekadu, F.F. Comparative analysis of long-term precipitation trends and its implication in the Modjo catchment, central Ethiopia, J. of Water, and Climate Change, 2022; 13 (11) 3883–3905, https://doi.org/10.2166/ wcc.2022.234.
• 24.   Lin, B. B. (2011). Resilience in Agriculture through Crop Diversification: Adaptive Management for Environmental Change. Bioscience, 61(3), 183–193. https://doi.org/10.1525/bio.2011.61.3.4
• 25.   Mathur, M., Sundaramoorthy, S., 2018. Appraisal of arid land status: holisticassessment pertains to bio-physical indicators and ecosystem values. Ecol. Process. 7. (1) https://doi.org/10.1186/ s13717-018-0148-2.
• 26.   Mesgaran, M.B., Madani, K., Hashemi, H., Azadi, P., Iran’s land suitability foragriculture. Sci. Rep. 2017;7 (1): 7670. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598- 017-08066-y
• 27.   Indo–Swiss Project Andhra Pradesh [ISPA] ‘Livestock feeding situation in Andhra Pradesh – options for improvement’, Indo–Swiss Project, Andhra Pradesh. VBRI premises, Shanti Nagar, Hyderabad.1997.
• 28.   Mbow, C., Van Noordwijk, M., Luedeling, E., Neufeldt, H., Minang, P. A., & Kowero, G. Agroforestry solutions to address food security and climate change challenges in Africa. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 2014; 6: 61–67. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j. cosust.2013.10.014.
• 29.   Mbeyale, G. E., Mcharo, N. Institutional and land use dynamics of Chagga home gardens in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania. Tanzania Journal of Forestry and Nature Conservation, 2022; 91(1): 101-119.
• 30.   Mkonda, M. Y. Agricultural Sustainability and Food Security in Agroecological Zones of Tanzania. Sustainable Agriculture Reviews, 2021; 52: 309-334.
• 31.   Msuya, T. S., Kideghesho, J. R. Mainstreaming agroforestry policy in Tanzania legal framework. Agroforestry for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services–Science And Practice, 2012; 129-140.
• 32.   NBSS&LUP. Soil resource of Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh. Technical report N0.1017.2008.
• 33.   NITI Aayog. Report of the expert committee on land leasing. NITI Aayog, Government of India.2016.
• 34.   Piñeiro. V., Arias, J., Dürr, J., Elverdin, P., Ibáñez, A.M., Kinengyere, A., Opazo, C.M., Owoo, N., Page J.R., Prager S.D., Torero, M. A scoping review on incentives for adoption of sustainable agricultural practices and their outcomes. Nat Sustain. 2020; 3(10):809–820.
• 35.   Schoeneberger P.J., D.A. Wysocki, E.C. Benham, Soil Survey Staff. Field book for describing and samplingsoils, Version 3.0. Natural Resources Conservation Service, National Soil Survey Center, Lincoln, NE. 2012.
• 36.   Shattuck, A. Generic, growing, green? The changing political economy of the global pesticide complex. The Journal of Peasant Studies, 2021; 48(2): 231–253.
• 37.   Shukla, P. R., Skea, J., Calvo Buendia, E., Masson Delmotte, V., Pörtner, H. O., Roberts, D. C., Zhai, P., Slade, R., Connors, S., & Van Diemen, R. IPCC, 2019: Climate Change and Land: an IPCC special report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems. 2019.
• 38.   Soil Survey Division Staff. Soil SurveyManual. USDA. Agri.handb.No.18. 2017; pp.1-587.
• 39.   Soil Survey Staff. Keys to Soil Taxonomy.12th edition. USDA/NRSC, Washington, DC.2014.
• 40.   Sys C, E., Van Ranst, E., Debaveye, J. and Beernaert, F.Land evaluation part II : Crop Requirements. SciUniv Ghent Agric Pub No. 7.1993.
• 41.   Taghizadeh-Mehrjardi, R.; Nabiollahi, K.; Rasoli, L.; Kerry, R.; Scholten, T. Land suitability assessment and agricultural production sustainability using machine learning models. Agronomy 2020, 10: 573. [CrossRef]
• 42.   Tamburino L, Bravo G, Clough Y, Nicholas KA. 2020. From population to production: 50 years of scientific literature on how to feed the world. Global Food Secur., 24:100346. doi: 10.1016/j.gfs.2019.100346.
• 43.   Tittonell, P. Ecological intensification of agriculture— Sustainable by nature. Curr. Opin. Environ. Sustain. 2014, 8: 53–61. [CrossRef].
• 44.   Tittonell P. Las transiciones agroecológicas: múltiples escalas, niveles y desafíos. Rev FCA UNCUYO. 2019; 51(1):231–246.
• 45.   Tittonell, P., Klerkx, L., Baudron, F., Félix, G.F., Ruggia, A., van Apeldoorn, D., Dogliotti, S., Mapfumo, P., Rossing. W.A.H. Ecological intensification: local innovation to address global challenges. Sustain Agric Rev. 2016; 19:1–34.
• 46.   Walsh, R. P. D., Lawer, D. M. Rainfall seasonality: Description, spatial patterns and change through time; Weather,1981; 36:201–208.
• 47.   Wezel, A., Casagrande, M., Celette, F., Vian, J.-F., Ferrer, A., Peigné, J. Agroecological practices for sustainable agriculture. A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 2014; 34(1), 1–20.https:// doi.org/10. 1007/s1 3593-013-0180-7.
• 48.   Wu, H., Zhang, Z., Wang, J., Qin, X., Chen, J., Wu, L., Lin, S., Rensing, C., Lin, W. Bio-Fertilizer Amendment Alleviates The Replanting Disease By Reshaping Leaf and Root Microbiome. Microbial ecology,2021;1-13.https://doi.org/10. 21203/ rs.3.rs-582632/v1.

Data Sharing Statement

Funding