The Soil Intelligence System (SIS-India) mid-IR (MIR) dataset contains MIR spectra and wet chemistry measurements (pH, EC, OC, N, P, K, S, B, Zn, Cu, Mn, Fe) for 3182 soil samples collected from randomly selected rice-wheat farmer fields spread uniformly within a KVK (government extension system) domain/district in Bihar, India. Soil sampling was conducted during the time following kharif harvest and prior to land preparation for rabi during the 2018, 2019, and 2020 seasons. The dataset is used for the training and evaluation of machine learning models for spectral prediction of soil properties.
The objective of the Landscape Diagnostic Survey (LDS) for wheat is to bridge the existing data-gap around current production practices of wheat, and also to help in evidence-based planning. The LDS is designed in a way that data is collected from randomly selected farmers spread uniformly within a KVK (government extension system) domain/district. Data has been collected from farmers largest wheat plot for winter season of 2018. Survey questionnaire captures all production practices applied by farmers from land preparation to harvesting, including detailed sections on fertilizer use, weed control and irrigation application. Data is captured through electronically enabled Open Data Kit (ODK) tool on mobile phone or tablet.
While there existed some empirical evidence of the incidence of zero-tillage (ZT) adoption in wheat – rice farming systems in Punjab, in 2013 no such assessment existed for Bihar, one of the major focal points of CSISA activities in the second phase. In Bihar, a relatively extensive network of ZT service providers exists, and the technology is probably relatively widely known, making a study which is based on a random sample of ZT service providers, ZT adopters, and non-adopters of the technology feasible. This kind of ground-truthing of the potential of ZT service provision as a business model and the adoption and impacts of the technology at the farm household level is urgently needed in view of a credible quantitative assessment of the impact of CSISA with respect to one of its major supported technologies. The results can help to more effectively target the promotion of ZT and the provision of ZT services and related training activities. The study consists of two interlinked panel household surveys, one focusing on ZT adoption and its welfare impacts at the farm household level (Survey 1) and the other focusing on ZT service provision as a business opportunity (Survey 2). For both surveys, data were collected in two rounds, the initial survey being conducted in 2013 with a follow-up survey in 2016. The objectives of this study are: (1) to assess service providers’ resource endowment and risk preferences; (2) based on (1), and pooling data with Survey 1, identify influencing factors of engaging in ZT service provision, including influencing factors of the scale of service provision.
While there existed some empirical evidence of the incidence of zero-tillage (ZT) adoption in wheat – rice farming systems in Punjab, in 2013 no such assessment existed for Bihar, one of the major focal points of CSISA activities in the second phase. In Bihar, a relatively extensive network of ZT service providers exists, and the technology is probably relatively widely known, making a study which is based on a random sample of ZT service providers, ZT adopters, and non-adopters of the technology feasible. This kind of ground-truthing of the potential of ZT service provision as a business model and the adoption and impacts of the technology at the farm household level is urgently needed in view of a credible quantitative assessment of the impact of CSISA with respect to one of its major supported technologies. The results can help to more effectively target the promotion of ZT and the provision of ZT services and related training activities. The study consists of two interlinked panel household surveys, one focusing on ZT adoption and its welfare impacts at the farm household level (Survey 1) and the other focusing on ZT service provision as a business opportunity (Survey 2). For both surveys, data were collected in two rounds, the initial survey being conducted in 2013 with a follow-up survey in 2016. The objectives of this study are: (1) to assess farmers’ resource endowment and risk preferences; (2) based on (1), identify influencing factors of zero-tillage (ZT) adoption, including influencing factors of the scale of adoption.
