PATNA, May 10 -- To help small and marginal farmers cope with erratic weather, improve soil vitality, and cut input costs in a region long vulnerable to floods, droughts and rising temperatures, Bihar's agriculture department is scaling up climate-resilient agriculture (CRA) practices to another 190 villages across all 38 districts of the state. Government data from the pilot phase shows clear gains. In the CRA villages, organic matter and nitrogen content in the soil rose by about 20% over the past five years, while phosphorus and potassium levels went up by around 10%. Soil pH also improved, shifting toward a more balanced range. Senior officials attribute these changes largely to techniques such as zero tillage, crop residue management and the use of biochar. "This is an important part of the fourth agricultural roadmap approved by the government last year," a senior agriculture department officer told Hindustan Times. Motivated by promising results from initial trials, the department plans to introduce CRA methods in five additional villages per district while encouraging neighbouring farmers to follow suit through awareness drives and demonstrations at Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs). The impact, however, stretches far beyond healthier soil. Study shows that the farmers in piloted zones have saved a staggering 65 billion litre of water over the past five years while growing crops on 2.63 lakh acres. A huge 48.5 billion litres was saved in cultivation of paddy alone. There was also a substantial decrease in use of water in cultivation of wheat and maize. The consumption of fuel in irrigation has also dropped significantly and farmers have saved lakhs of rupees to be spent on labour, the study added. Officials said that farmers who used to burn crop residue after harvest are now using happy seeders to sow wheat directly into unploughed fields and straw balers to turn leftover stubble into bales. "In a village, for example, over 5,500 tonnes of straw were baled, creating additional income as the material finds buyers for fodder or other uses. The KVAs helped farmers produce around 636 tonnes of biochar, which they mix back into their fields to enrich soil quality. For many smallholders, these changes have quietly rewritten their farming calendar," an official said. The study further stated that those who switched to direct-seeded rice and zero-tillage wheat often find they can squeeze in an extra short-duration crop like summer moong. This resulted in higher annual earnings without extra land or water. Besides, reduced dependency on chemical fertilisers, better moisture retention in the soil, and stronger crop roots have made their fields more resilient when rains play truant or floods arrive unannounced. Officials said that there were fewer smokey sky days in Bihar as compared to five years ago due to reduction in stubble burning. Better water management is also lowering irrigation cost and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As the programme's ambit is set to increase in few months, officials hope CRA initiatives will inspire adjacent villages to adopt the climate-friendly approach in agriculture....