Assessing comparative study on adaptive float farming against conventional farming system in inundated coastal plains of sundarban

Abstract

As the global population grows, the imperative need of rising food demand places enormous strain on our limited resources mostly in coastal regions. Frequent changes in climatic catastrophes exacerbates this issue imposing constraints on conventional farming by destruction of crops and degrading soil quality. Consequently, we find need for an alternative farming approach that not only safeguard our environment but also supports our limited resources. Amidst the array of alternative practice, a long-forgotten method of floating farming resurfaced. We have revitalized this technique by designing a floating model that rests on water bodies, offering an extended agricultural land. This innovation was named as Floats for Integrated Agriculture Module (FIAM). The primary challenge faced by coastal areas is the soil salinity, which adversely affects crops. To cope up we have composed a mixture of cocopeat and vermicompost called FIAM growth media which facilitates good quality crops and also offers the added advantage of reduced weight maintaining the stability of floating surface. The aim of our thesis is to compare the long-forgotten conventional farming practice with float farming by developing an adaptive practice index using multiple-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) for agricultural sustainability on long term basis. This study of evaluating the use of growth medium was found to be superior in their physicochemical properties compared to the use of conventional soil. In addition, the study showed that the float farming system inclusive of using growth medium can be economically viable and environmentally sustainable. Therefore, it has the potential to be a probability unit for coastal population.