The identification of suitable conservation agricultural (CA) practices plays a significant role in global food security. A 3-year (2018-2020) field experiment was conducted in Vertisols of the semi-arid tropics of central India to investigate the effects of CA practices and irrigation methods on the yield, water productivity (WP) and energetics of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). A split-split plot design was used with three treatments, namely, two irrigation methods (sprinkler and furrow), three residue loads (30%, 60% and 100%) and three planting methods (broad-bed shaper-cum-planter [BBSP], zero-till planter and seed-cum-fertilizer drill) with three replications each. Sprinkler irrigation significantly improved chickpea seed yield by 2% and 5% in the second (1566 kg ha À1 ) and third years (1555 kg ha À1 ) compared to furrow irrigation.During the three experimental years, the WP of chickpeas under sprinkler irrigation was significantly higher ( p < 0.05) by 31%, 34% and 35% compared to that under furrow irrigation. Irrigation (6027 MJ ha À1 ), fertilization (1805 MJ ha À1 ) and planting (1615 MJ ha À1 ) accounted for 63%-68% of the total energy input in chickpea production. Under CA practices, it is recommended that higher returns be achieved using BBSP and a 100% residue load with sprinkler irrigation.