Agriculture in the tropics must not only gear up for increased system productivity to obtain sufficient food, fodder and fuel for the growing population but also pay attention to utilize natural resources in a sustainable manner for future use. In a widely varied ecological condition with unfavourable topography as well as soil fertility always restrained the farmers from taking the risk of deviation from their age-old farm practices. Such type of situation is found in the plateau region of India where the incidence of poverty is very high and agriculture remains the major source of livelihood. To eradicate poverty of that region by enhancing production, this study tries to explore the ways and means for a sustainable agriculture. This paper is based on a survey in the Usri (river) watershed area of the eastern plateau of India. This study reveals that the rates of adoption of improved technologies have been higher in case of rice as compared to maize as well as socio-economic and infrastructural constraints were the prime constraints for non-adoption of modern technology in the study villages. In such an unfavourable socioeconomic and agro-climatic condition, the bottom-up approach with low-cost and eco-friendly technologies would be the only way to achieve an improved and sustainable agriculture

Keyword: Sustainable; Ecology; Agro-climatic, Eco-friendly;