International Journal of Scientific & Innovative Research Studies ISSN : 2347-7660

COMMUNITY-BASED ECOTOURISM AND LIVELIHOODS IN THE HILL ECONOMY OF DISTRICT,

Dr. Kalpana Bhakuni , Associate Professor, University of Delhi.

Nainital as a town characterizes a tourist destination, and the farmers are practicing to leave it but as a district it bears the character of an uncultivated for one crop season for alternate year agricultural economy. Here nearly 90% of the total in order to recover fertility. cropped area is devoted to subsistence crops mainly grown for domestic consumption and local market. In this hill economy agriculture is the main activity Commercial or cash crops occupy a very negligible and a traditional cropping pattern of three crops in portion of the cropped area. The agricultural two years, that is paddy-wheat-mandua( Ragi) is practices are far from being economically rewarding practiced. On account of the small size of holdings due to non-progressive and unsustainable patterns and total dependence on rainfall, yields are low. The of livelihood. Since opportunities of employment average size of holding is 1.67 ha in and income generation outside agricultural activities which has come under severe pressure since the are limited, the local people bear a system of lands are rampantly sold by the cultivators to the subsistence cultivation. builders for cash in return.

The availability of land for agriculture in the hill The overall cropping pattern of this district is typical region of Uttarakhand is limited as would be evident of an underdeveloped agricultural economy. Nearly from the fact in Census of , 2011, that the per 90% of the total cropped area is devoted to capita cultivated land is only 0.15 hectares compared subsistence food crops mainly grown for domestic with 0.34 hectares per capita for the country, consumption and local market. Commercial or cash whereas 0.48 hectares per capita is considered as crops occupy a very negligible portion of the the minimum requirement for supporting and cropped area. In subsistence farming in hills there providing livelihood to an individual.The inability of are no savings and therefore no capital formation available cultivable land in the hills to produce takes place. As it is there is no will to save and invest enough food for a rapidly increasing population is for the betterment of the future. giving rise to intense pressure on land. This condition of uneconomic agriculture is posing serious threat to Another essential feature of agriculture in this region the land resources. is that it heavily depends upon the animal dung as manure, and the animals graze on common pastures In the analysis of the primarily agricultural economy and forest lands. In the older time there was right of this hill region it is found that the older and larger kind of ratio between the population and pastures villages lay in the valleys where the agricultural existed, but with the fragmentation of agriculture terraces were wider and richer with two to three and rise in population, the proportion between crops in a year. But the percentage of such areas is cultivated land and pastures cannot sustain the very low. Beside these some rainfed areas have number of animals required to maintain the level of narrower terraces with no irrigation facilities, which agricultural yields.Population increase together with do not support even two crops in two years cycle, restrictions on agricultural extension have resulted

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International Journal of Scientific & Innovative Research Studies ISSN : 2347-7660

in fragmentation of land holdings into such small harvesting and grass cutting activities coincide plots that very few families today obtain two or resulting in labour scarcity. Though off-season three months food from their fields. Food grains for vegetables and potatoes have a seasonal advantage remaining nine months are being brought into the as they are produced and disposed of before the region from Terai and foothills and plains. For the produce of the plains comes to the market. The main families to survive at the minimal level of fruit is apple but it is widely suffering from problems subsistence the working members have to find other of disease rendering it total loss of horticulture. livelihood alternatives, mostly outside the hill region. Citrus, mango and pear are the most important fruits For the most part only the men migrate leaving from the standpoint of exports. Off-season behind the women, children and old people. Only a vegetables like tomato, beans, peas, capsicum, small portion of men of working age find local cabbage, cauliflower and potatoes hold good employment in the forests, road construction or prospects. The constraints, however, are timely local market or local government agencies. availability of seed, seedlings and disease control. The higher initial investments, low returns and non- Even in order to maintain itself at its present meagre availability of technical information and poor level, hill agriculture is drawing on the capital infrastructure are some of the other hurdles. resources of the natural environment at a greater In certain areas of Nainital district the fruit growing rate than they can replenish themselves. For this belts are well developed and a substantial quantity reason hill agriculture here is uneconomic and needs of fruits is supplied to the market through some alternative livelihood options. The traditional contractors and middlemen. The climatic conditions practices regarding livelihood systems, mainly of Nainital district strongly favour diversification agriculture and livestock-rearingare quite from agriculture into horticulture, namely, fruits, cut unrewarding.In the micro-level village survey, all flowers, mushrooms and off-season and seasonal production centres upon cultivation, where livestock vegetables, including potatoes. This, however needs raising is an integral component of agricultural infrastructural support in the form of soil and water economy. The majority of the livestock of the region conservation measures, irrigation facilities, credit is composed of cattle and buffaloes. Goat and and marketing support and the development of poultry are less common. Buffalo strives better than transport and communications. However, by and cattle on coarse fodder and is thus suitable for the large these measures have not been implemented hill region, which suffers from scarcity of good due to lack of institutional support, scarce local fodder. capital and chronic backwardness. The arable lands in this hill region should be used for orchards, tea, HORTICULTURE nuts, medicinal plants, flowers, aromatic products, organic vegetables etc.

Nainital district has a unique location and climatic In the old times there was a viable agrarian economy advantage in the pursuit of horticulture, but it may in the hills but in the present scenario the not be taken as an alternative to agriculture without uneconomical livelihood alternatives need to be proper planning. The promotion of horticulture in supplemented with other economically viable the hills poses a potential problem that cultivators options such as community-based ecotourism in this could be deprived of crops for several years between hill region.In general, community-based ecotourism planting fruit trees and their yield. Constraints in refers to ecotourism enterprises that are owned and developing fruit production include lack of managed by the community. It implies that a availability of quality plants, lack of disease and pest community is taking care of their natural resources control measures, lack of marketing infrastructure, in order to gain income through operating a tourism and lack of labour because crop harvesting, fruit enterprise and using that income to better their Vol (3), Issue-1,January-2015 IJSIRS 15

International Journal of Scientific & Innovative Research Studies ISSN : 2347-7660

lives. It involves conservation, business enterprise 3. So far the caste factor is concerned there is and community development. a majority of General category, followed by Scheduled Castes under Reserved category. In Nainital district the potential of ecotourism is high The Scheduled Tribes are hardly found and with the prospect of developing the community present in these villages. based ecotourism, the field work was conducted at village level in 2012, and the data was compiled at 4. The annual income in the study area shows block level. Though there are eight blocks in Nainital a modest economy prevailing in this region. district, namely, Ramnagar, , Kotabagh, The very low income (less than Rs.30,000 , Okhalkanda, Dhari, Ramgarh and Betalghat. per annum) is highest in Okhalkanda block (36%) closely followed by Betalghat block Haldwani block lacks the landuse suitable for (35%) and Dhari block (21%). The ecotourism, as it is mainly characterized by percentage of low income group is also high commercial, industrial and residential uses of urban in the blocks of Okhalkanda and Betalghat. landscape. Ramnagar block has an exception in The percentage of very high income group Ramganga basin combined with the reserved forest (Rs.,200,000 and above) is highest in which is suitable for ecotourism, but from the point Bhimtal block (19%), where more people of view of community-based ecotourism it loses the are engaged in business, government significance. The villages which are finally enlisted as services, hotel industry, self-employment the potential areas of community-based ecotourism etc. take into account only six blocks, namely, Kotabagh, a. The trend of income shows that Bhimtal, Okhalkanda, Ramgarh, Dhari and Betalghat. those blocks which are primarily The town areas of Nainital, Bhimtal, and engaged in Agricultural Ramnagar are not taken into consideration for the occupations have poor economic purpose of community-based eco-tourism. returns and therefore they are placed in the bottom rung of In the analysis of data obtained through the primary income. work, the following observations are noted- b. Those who come in the very high 1. The family composition is primarily of joint income group ( Rs.2,00,000 and family type, in which two to three above) in otherwise low profile generations live together in a single blocks, are mostly either retired household. This pattern has a direct personnel from military with relevance to the present research that the pensions or the Pradhans of the livelihoods of present generation as well as Panchayats in the villages. past generation can be easily assessed, through first person account. 5. When we see the occupational distribution as Agricultural and Non-agricultural in the 2. The study area of Nainital district at village selected blocks, the percentage of level under different blocks which was Agricultural occupation is highest in brought under a field survey showed totally Betalghat block (94%), closely followed by Hindu religionpopulation. Though there is a Okhalkanda block (90%). The highest marginal presence of Muslims and percentage of Non-agricultural occupation Christians in the district but in the selected is in Bhimtal block (46%), due to its villages they do not figure in. proximity to urban areas like Nainital and Haldwani. Ramgarh block has also shown comparatively higher percentage of Non-

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International Journal of Scientific & Innovative Research Studies ISSN : 2347-7660

agricultural occupation than other blocks non-agricultural uses like like Dhari, Betalghat, Okhalkanda, due to residential purposes etc. But in the the fact that in last few years it has less accessible areas or in the witnessed boom in real estate enterprise interiors the large chunks of land and substantial agricultural land has been are still under cultivation with very sold out to affluent people from outside the low productivity and economic region. But overall, the Agricultural return. occupations are much more predominant in b. This clearly shows that how the this hill district. agricultural economy of this region a. The non-agricultural activities is breaking down. seem to have stagnated or declined in traditional activities like 8. The subsistence farming of this region is black smithy, carpentry and heavily dependent on livestock for spinning or weaving while the manure and animal power in farming. activities which have shown Generally the number of cows is higher increase are grocery selling, tea than buffaloes in all the districts, followed shops/ small provision shops and by ox and others like goat, sheep etc. The tailoring. livestock like cows and buffaloes are more for domestic use of milk, manure etc. rather 6. The assets of the people are modest, like than the commercial sale of dairy products. TV, cycle, mobile phones, sometimes two In fact, the yield is generally very low so far wheelers or four wheelers like car, van or the dairy products are concerned and it jeep which is used as taxi. barely fulfils the domestic needs. The number of cows is higher due to free 7. The pattern of land availability shows grazing practice in the forest areas, whereas bigger holdings in the less developed areas, due to low availability of fodder in the hills, such as Dhari (33%), Betalghat (24%), the buffaloes which are maintained in stalls Okhalkanda (23%) blocks have very large and sheds, are comparatively less preferred. land holdings of more than 50 “naalis” ( 1 The intensity of grazing in hills is naali = 2275 sqft), whereas the smaller consequently very high. It has been holdings in the more developed areas observed that the Reserved Castes such as where the lands are largely sold out and Schedule Castes prefer to keep goats, sheep now less and less lands are at the disposal and mules etc. of the locals, such as Bhimtal block has very large holdings only (10%) and Ramgarh 9. The veterinary services are mostly available block (15%). or accessible at or near the villages. Though a. This inverse relationship between the proper veterinary service is available at the size of land holdings and block and district level only. economic development is clear among all the blocks. It is an irony that where the land prices have 10. So far the availability of the basic amenities gone up due to infrastructure, like water, electricity, health are concerned, better accessibility, contact with they are by and large accessible everywhere outsiders, boom in real estate etc. if not available. Water is available through the agricultural lands are sold out natural source such as rivers, rivulets, for higher economic returns for springs or public water supply as Vol (3), Issue-1,January-2015 IJSIRS 17

International Journal of Scientific & Innovative Research Studies ISSN : 2347-7660

community tap in the village. Only a small cities, are young people in search of number of locals have their private water employment and better life styles. supply. Sometimes the women folk have to a. An increasing trend of out- walk down long distances to fetch the migration has been there from water. In last few years a large number of rural to urban areas. The level of hand pumps are provided under various poverty and unemployment are govt. schemes but most of them are lying the main reasons to migrate to dysfunctional. urban areas. Other kinds of migration are related with 11. Electricity has reached almost all the education and social motivation villages of Nainital district but in the far and tend to affect a smaller size of interiors the supply of electricity is quite population. Whereas the in- erratic and prone to frequent faults due to migration is very low, except those rains, hailstorms etc. The electricity in most cases where retired people come of the cases is found to be either un - back to their native places or in metered or on flat rates. some case it is due to inter-district migration, for example from 12. The health services at the village level are Pithoragarh district to Nainital largely available in nearby Primary Health district. In this study of Centers, but for any health problem more community-based ecotourism for than the primary nature may be available at livelihood alternatives the locals block level or district level. are taken into consideration and not the labour force coming as 13. The transport services are mostly used in all migrants from other States like the blocks for availing the health facility at Bihar, Jharkhand etc. far or less distances. The other uses of transport is for work and education. The 16. So far, the past livelihood is concerned blocks like Bhimtal and Kotabagh show almost 100% people of the earlier higher percentages of users of transport for generation were practicing agriculture. work or education. Okhalkanda, Betalghat, Dhari blocks show as small as 2 to 3 percent 17. This may be at times more than a hundred for using transport services for work. One of years that agriculture continued to be the the main reasons behind this is that that mainstay of their livelihood. Most of the majority of them engaged in their own agricultural land they own is ancestral. But agricultural pursuits. the with the extensions in the family- structure the land holdings have become 14. The irrigational infrastructure in the fragmented and scattered over large areas, selected blocks of Nainital district is quite making it more and more unsuitable for undeveloped. The subsistence farming of agricultural reforms. this hill region is rainfed. There is limited use of irrigational sources like local streams 18. In past generation though the cropping and rivers. pattern was not very different from today, Rabi and Kharif; but there were three crops 15. The out-migration is much more important a year whereas now there are three crops in than the in-migration in this district. Most two years. The pressure of population was of those who migrate to plains or bigger not so alarming on the land and forest.

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International Journal of Scientific & Innovative Research Studies ISSN : 2347-7660

much scope of having Govt. jobs at 19. The pattern of present livelihood shows village level. the agricultural as well as non-agricultural components, such as cultivation, 20. Though the present generation is still business/self-employed, Government jobs carrying on with the agricultural and others. Okhalkanda block shows the practices of their earlier generation, but highest percentage (97%) engaged in they are simultaneously practicing other cultivation, followed by Betalghat block occupations such as business, local politics, (90%), Dhari block (89%). On the other transport, land dealership or even Govt. hand the percentages in these blocks are jobs such as local governance, teaching etc. quite low in reference to business, Govt. jobs, and others. In Okhalkanda block the 21. The Green Revolution has not touched this percentage of people in business is as low region because of the different set of as 1%, followed by Betalghat block (2%) and conditions here which were not conducive Dhari block (3%). to such a revolution. The agriculture a. The Bhimtal block shows the scenario has become dimmer over the time lowest percentage (55%) engaged having no major changes in terms of crops in cultivation, whereas the sown, infrastructure, irrigation etc. But the percentages of business and Govt. use of fertilizers and hybrid seeds has come jobs are highest (29%) and (14%), in without understanding their respectively in this block. In consequences. Since the agriculture is Ramgarh block also the percentage primarily rainfed in this hill region, the of people engaged in cultivation is hybrid seeds are not suitable as they comparatively low (68%) to other require lot of water supply. They may give blocks such as Okhalkanda, higher yields only in river valleys where the Betalghat, Dhari. In Kotabagh block supply of water is assured from the river. the percentage of people in The rampant use of fertilizers and pesticides cultivation is moderate (77%), in these areas has already assumed whereas the percentages of people dangerous proportions. Now the traditional in business is (14%). use of green manure is becoming less and b. It is noticed that mostly those who less. Ironically enough, even in villages here are engaged in business have the ‘organic food’ is a specialized item. shops or transport and majority of the self-employed people are 22. The satisfaction level of agriculture in all dealing in real estate. When it the selected blocks of Nainital district is comes to Govt. jobs the alarming. More than 90% of people are percentage goes up due to taking dissatisfied with the returns from into account all those who are agriculture- Dhari block (98%), Okhalkanda elected members of Panchayat block (96%), Betalghat block (94%) and system at grass root level and Bhimtal block (97%). The satisfaction level is those who are in education system comparatively higher in Ramgarh block like Primary Schools, High Schools, (69%) andKotabagh block (67%), probably Inter Colleges, even Anganwadis; due to better yields from horticulture and otherwise the picture would have seasonal vegetables. been different because there is not a. The problem of dissatisfaction among the people with agriculture Vol (3), Issue-1,January-2015 IJSIRS 19

International Journal of Scientific & Innovative Research Studies ISSN : 2347-7660

as an option of livelihood is tradition of handicrafts is not so well phenomenal. On an average the evolved in this region and there is not much agricultural yield is not sufficient to to offer in terms of local souvenir items of sustain a household more than specialized local character to tourists. The three to four months a year, as folk traditions are also on the brink of result they have to buy the cereals, fading out in the new generation. vegetables etc. to sustain for eight to nine months a year from the 25. However, the people are totally ignorant of local market which come from community-based ecotourism. When terai and foothill region. explained the idea of community-based ecotourism, almost all of them showed 23. When it comes to the solution to make the positive interest in being part of such agriculture a better option of livelihood, development programme if it holds to offer various measures are sought out such as them the sustainable livelihood alternatives change in crops, water availability, along with their traditional livelihood from horticulture, loan facilities etc. The majority agriculture. of people asked for better water availability, as they feel that the use of As a complex service industry, tourism is dependent hybrid seeds is the only answer to make on a wide range of general and specialised services agriculture a better option of livelihood and facilities to fulfil the needs of tourists. The with better loan facilities. Relatively a much tourismenterprise begins with a tourist, travel smaller percentage of people feel that agencies and tour operators, and ends with suppliers horticulture should be encouraged in this of services such as accommodation, transportation, region which has the reputation of ‘Fruit and excursions.The processes involved in district’ of Uttarakhand, but so far the community-based ecotourism include all aspects of shifting the gear from traditional farming to planning, developing, marketing and managing horticulture is not successful. It may be due resources and facilities for this form of tourism. to the fact that the shift of area under fruits Visitor provision includes access to natural areas and into agricultural crops in the case of small cultural heritage, guiding and interpretative services, farmers could mainly be due to the fact that accommodation, catering, sales of produce and the nature of cultivation of fruits is quite handicrafts, and transport.Community-based different from agricultural crops primarily ecotourism is a viable option to avoid the because of long gestation period involved in degradation of resources and upgrade economic fruit production, more so that they cannot status of people of this hill district. To do this, the bear the cost involved in maintaining basic infrastructural facilities would have to be orchards. improved as per the requirements and needs of the tourists and suitable arrangements for the tourists 24. All the people have heard of tourism in the would have to be made in professional terms of the region but very small number of people is matter. actually aware of Ecotourism as a livelihood alternative. When it comes to relating to REFERENCES various options of livelihood under

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International Journal of Scientific & Innovative Research Studies ISSN : 2347-7660

Himalayan Landscape for Characterizing 11. Guidelines for community-based Resource Utilization Pattern ecotourism development, WWF (Nainital Lake Region). International/July 2001, Prepared by Dr Ashish, M. (1979) “Agricultural economy of Richard Denman, The Tourism Kumaon hills: Threat of Company, UK. ecological disaster”, Economic and Political 12. Joshi, S.C, Joshi, D.R and Dani, D.D. Weekly, 14(25): 1058-1064. (1983) Kumaun Himalaya: A Atlas-Uttaranchal (2011) Census of India, Geographical Perspective on Resource Directorate of census Development, Nainital: operations, Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal. Gyanodaya Publication. Barkin, D. (2002) “NGO-community 13.. Krishna, S. (2002) “Economic profile of collaboration for ecotourism: A Uttaranchal”, Economic and strategy for sustainable regional Political Weekly, 37(19): 1843-1849. development, Current Issues in Tourism, 14. National Atlas and Thematic Mapping (3&4): 245-253. Organization (2003) The Atlas Barkin, D. and Carlos (2002) “NGO- of Uttaranchal, Kolkata. community collaboration for 15. Negi, S.S. (1993) Kumaun: The Land and ecotourism: A strategy for sustainable people, New Delhi: Indus regional development”, Current Publishing Company. Issues in Tourism, 5(3&4): 245-253. 16. Sarkar, R. (1998) “Understanding Bisht, D.S (1982) Guide to Garhwal and sustainability: Study of a hill Kumaun Hills (Uttarakhand settlement”, Economic and Political Weekly, Hill region of Uttar Pradesh), Dehradun: 33(44): 2800-2806. Trishul Publication. 17. Sarkar, R. (1998) “Understanding Boker, U.M and Kollmair, M.(2000) sustainability: Study of a hill “Livelihood strategies and settlement”, Economic and Political Weekly, local perceptions of a new nature 33(44): 2800-2806. conservation project in Nepal: The 18. Sati,V.P and Kamlesh Kumar Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Project”, (2004)”Uttaranchal - Dilemma of Plenties Mountain Research and and Scarcities”, Mittal Publications, New Development, 20(4): 324-331. Delhi. 19. Sharma, K.K (2004) Tourism and socio- Census of India (2001) Administrative Atlas, cultural development, Sarup Directorate of Census and Sons, New Delhi. Operations, Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal. 20. Wight, P.A. (2002) “Supporting the 9. Census of India (2011) Primary Census principles of sustainable Abstracts: Uttaranchal, Series development in tourism and ecotourism: VI. Government’s potential role”, 10. Faulkner, B. and Tideswell, C. (1997) “A Current Issues in Tourism, 5(3&4): 222-244. framework for monitoring 21. William D.S. et al. (2005) “Livelihoods, community impacts of tourism”, Journal of forests, and conservation in Sustainable Tourism, 5(1). developing countries: An Overview”, World Development, 33(9): 1383-1402.

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Copyright © 2015, Dr Kalpana Bhakuni. This is an open access refereed article distributed under the creative common attribution license which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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