Changes in cropping pattern for sustainable agriculture in Odisha

The sustainability of agriculture depends on the stability, diversification and regional equality of the production and production system. Therefore, this study explored the growth pattern, the extent of crop diversification, variability and regional disparities to examine the sustainability of agriculture in Odisha. Results revealed that increase in production of food grains and crop stability were the key challenges to Odisha's agriculture which is open to the vagaries of monsoon and highly susceptible to natural calamities, subsistence oriented and has faced fluctuating growth rate over the years. The extent of crop diversification is very slow with large degree of regional inequality. The nature and extent of variability of agricultural production, its sources and implications have, however, not received systematic attention at any rate in Odisha. Therefore, a comprehensive strategy for improving existing cropping system, diversifying the cropping pattern to tackle the incidence of distress sale, and to have sustainable agricultural development in Odisha is the need of the hour.