Conservation agriculture based tillage and crop establishment options can maintain farmers’ yields and increase profits in South Asia's rice–maize systems: Evidence from Bangladesh

Rice–maize (R–M) systems are rapidly expanding in South Asia and Bangladesh due to higher yield and profit potential from rabi (winter) maize, its reduced water requirement compared to rice–rice systems, and increasing demand from poultry and fish feed industries. The current practice of growing puddled transplanted rice and maize with conventional, repeated tillage degrades soil structure, delays maize planting, and reduces its yield potential, increasing energy and labour requirements, ultimately leading to high production costs. Conservation agriculture (CA)-based tillage and crop establishment options such as strip or reduced tillage, and raised beds, may hold potential to increase yield, reduce crop establishment costs, and increase income of the farmers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the productivity and profitability…