4 Long-Term Mechanization Strategy Papers for Different Agro Climatic
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4 Long-term Mechanization Strategy Papers for Different Agro Climatic Zones STUDY RELATING TO FORMULATING LONG-TERM MECHANIZATION STRATEGY FOR EACH AGRO CLIMATIC ZONE/STATE IN INDIA 78 LONG-TERM MECHANIZATION STRATEGY PAPERS—AGRO CLIMATIC ZONE–I : WESTERN HIMALAYAN REGION Long-term Strategies and Programmes for Mechanization of Agriculture in Agro Climatic Zone–I : Western Himalayan region Dr Anwar Alam Vice-Chancellor Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir Shalimar, Srinagar–191 121 (J&K) 1. NAME OF AGRO CLIMATIC ZONE : Western Himalayan region 2. STATES UNDER THIS ZONE : Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttaranchal 79 STUDY RELATING TO FORMULATING LONG-TERM MECHANIZATION STRATEGY FOR EACH AGRO CLIMATIC ZONE/STATE IN INDIA 3. SUB-AGRO-CLIMATIC ZONES WITH THEIR The climate is humid and sub temperate and the CHARACTERIZATION average annual rainfall is 1,300 mm. About three-fourths The hill regions of Western Himalayas consists of of the normal precipitation is from the South-west three States namely Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal monsoon during June to September. The winter and pre- Pradesh and Uttaranchal. The region has much diversity. monsoon showers are also significant with a precipitation The valleys receive good rainfall and have rich soils of between 150–175 mm in each of these two seasons. though the temperate zones of Ladakh face climatic The soil is largely brown alluvial. barriers against agricultural growth. High soil erosion 3.3 Valley Temperate also reduces fertility. There are three sub-zones in this zone. This sub- zone consists of Uttarkashi, Dehra Dun, Haridwar, Chamoli, Tehri Garhwal, Garhwal, Almora, 3.1 High Altitude Temperate Nainital, Udham Singh Nagar and Pithoragarh districts This covers districts in Jammu and Kashmir and of Uttaranchal State. Pakistan and China occupied Kashmir. The districts are This region has a high forest cover of nearly 65% by Jammu, Baramula, Anantnag, Pulwama, Srinagar, the official definition. However, a large part of this is Badgara, Kathua, Kargil, Ladakh, Kupwara, Punch, thin on vegetative cover. Only 12% of the land is Rajauri and Udhampur. Besides, the region also includes cultivated. About 37% of the cultivated area is irrigated. the Chilas, Gilgit, Wazarat, Mirpur and Tribal Territory The region receives about 1,675 mm of rain annually. districts which are occupied by Pakistan and China. This region is interspersed with a series of mountain 4. GENERAL TOPOGRAPHY OF THE ZONE ranges running parallel to each other, east to west. The WITH BRIEF HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Indus river system has carved out a number of valleys in OF AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE which agriculture is practiced—Elevation increases from ZONE about 330 metres in Jammu to 3,505 metres in Ladakh The three sub-agro climatic zones of this region as and rainfall decreases from about 1,052 mm in Jammu mentioned above are divided into four agro-ecological to 92 mm in Leh. regions as shown in Table 1. The conservation of natural resources in the 3.2 High Hill Temperate Himalayan region is an issue of utmost concern for This sub-zone consists of two distinct regions—the sustainable agricultural development and improving High Hill Temperate and the Hill Temperate. The High livelihood securities of the local inhabitants. Ruthless Hill Temperate region comprises of only two sparsely and unauthorized exploitation of natural resources is populated districts—Lahul and Spiti and Kinnaur in affecting long-term sustainability of Himalayan north Himachal Pradesh. The population is largely tribal agricultural production system, which mainly revolves and the land is mostly fallow. Only seven per cent of the around crop production, horticulture, livestock, and area is under forest cover and about three per cent is forest and to some extent fisheries. Glaciers and glacial cultivated. Compared to the lower and middle hill melts are steadily declining. regions, this region has better irrigation facilities. The A large number of crops—cereals, pulse, oilseeds and pre-dominant source of irrigation is the khul. There is others have been cultivated in the region with an objective about 800 mm of rains in a year and the soil is of attaining self sufficiency in food. Horticultural crops mountainous and skeletal. Farming is practiced mostly are well adapted to this region, these include fruits (apple, on steep slopes without much soil conservation measures almond, walnut, plum, peach, cherry and apricots), leading to heavy soil erosion. vegetables (brinjal, chillies, potato, pea, cabbage, The Hill Temperate region in this sub-zone covers the cauliflower, knol khol, turnips, onion, garlic etc.), spices better part of the State of Himachal Pradesh-Nearly two- (saffron, Kala zeera), and flowers (rose, gladiolus, thirds of the geographical area falls under this region. It marigold, tulip, carnation, chrysanthemums, nargis etc.). covers the districts of Bilaspur, Chamba, Hamirpur, Forests occupy 60% of the total geographical area of the Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Sirmaur, Solan and Una. Himalayan ecosystem, though substantial area has been About a fifth of the land is cultivated and nearly 31% is reduced to scrub forests. The agrarian economy of the hills under forests. Nearly 40% of the geographical area is is heavily dependent on forest and pasture lands, for energy available for cultivation. Only about 12% of the net sown supply, fodder, non-timber products and livestock rearing. area is irrigated. The major source of irrigation is the khul. This vital sector of hill economy, however, due to high 80 LONG-TERM MECHANIZATION STRATEGY PAPERS—AGRO CLIMATIC ZONE–I : WESTERN HIMALAYAN REGION Table 1. Agro-ecological regions and livelihood production systems in the Western Himalayan zone Region Climate, Livelihood Parts of the State covered altitude production system Jammu and Kashmir Himachal Pradesh Uttaranchal (m, amsl) Region I Sub-tropical Agri-livestock Jammu and plains Una, Bilaspur, Parts of Pauri Garhwal, Sub-montane and Low 200–800 fish-horticulture of Udhampur district Hamirpur and Dehra Dun, Almora Hills parts of Sirmaur, and Pithoragarh Kangra Solan and districts Chamba districts Region II Sub-humid Agri-horti- Hilly areas of Doda, Kangra tehsils of Parts of all districts Mid Hills 801–1,800 livestock- fish Udhampur, Rajauri Palampur and and Punch districts Shimla district, and parts of Mandi, Solan, Kullu, Chamba and Sirmaur Region III Temperate Agri-horti- Srinagar, Budgam, Shimla district Major parts of High Hills 1,801–2,200 livestock-pasture- Anantnag, Pulwama, (except Rampur Pithoragarh, Uttarkashi fish Baramula and tehsil) and small part of Kupwara districts and parts of Kullu, Chamoli and Tehri Leh and Kargil Solan, Chamba, Garhwal districts Mandi, Kangra and Sirmaur district Region IV Temperate dry Livestock – Leh and Kargil Kinnaur, Lahaul Parts of Uttarkashi, Very High Hills >2,200 silvipasture – districts and Spiti, and Chamoli, Pithoragarh agriculture Pangi and and Almora districts Bharmour tehsils of Chamba biotic pressures and abiotic factors is degrading. There had Table 2. State-wise Number of Operational holdings by major been a gradual decrease in the dense forest areas. Massive size groups (1995–96) corrective measures are therefore being taken by (in ‘000) government at strategic, operational and policy level. Cultivable lands are limited, little scope of cultivating Name of Marginal Small Semi- Medium Large Total fodder as a result livestock pressure is relatively higher in State/Union medium Territory the Himalayas than in the plains. Cold-water aquaculture has a vast potential for horizontal and vertical expansion. Jammu and 1,041 187 89 18 Neg. 1,336 Region has vast potential of hydroelectric power, Kashmir which has not been fully tapped. There is general paucity Himachal 556 173 95 34 5 863 of electrical power, which hampers agro-industrial and Pradesh socio-economic development especially in J&K. Potential also exists for geothermal energy. Uttaranchal NA NA NA NA NA NA 5. OPERATIONAL LAND HOLDING PATTERN Note: Neg. - Negligible; NA - Not Available. Source: Agricultural Statistics at a Glance 2004, Agricultural BY MAJOR SIZE GROUP (MARGINAL, Statistics Division, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, SMALL, SEMI-MEDIUM, MEDIUM AND Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Ministry of LARGE HOLDING SIZE) Agriculture, Government of India. The operational land holdings are shown in Table 2. 81 STUDY RELATING TO FORMULATING LONG-TERM MECHANIZATION STRATEGY FOR EACH AGRO CLIMATIC ZONE/STATE IN INDIA 6. IMPORTANT SOIL TYPES Himalaya is deficit in food grains. Because of remoteness, While Ladakh and parts of Lahaul and Spiti have transport costs are very high. Therefore, major research skeletal, calcareous soils with alkaline reaction, the rest thrusts in the past were given to variety development and of the region have soils which are shallow to deep loamy, crop and nutrient management practices to boost forest and podzolic brown with medium to high organic agricultural productivity. Improved technologies have matter and acidic in reaction. been developed which are superior to the traditional practices in terms of productivity and profitability but not 7. CLIMATE AND ANNUAL RAINFALL comparable to the Indo-Gangetic plains. The mean total annual rainfall is < 150 mm for Under rainfed condition, mono-crop of cereals (rice, Western Himalayan cold arid region, 1,000–2,000 mm wheat, maize) may give net return of Rs 9,000 to 10,000 for northern plain, hot sub-humid region, and 1,600– per ha, a catchup rabi of pulses and oilseed increases 2,000 mm for Western Himalayan warm sub-humid net returns to about Rs 12,000 per ha. Rice–wheat under region (Sehgal et al. 1990). irrigated conditions can fetch about Rs 25,000 per ha against which vegetable crops can give net returns 4 to 8. POPULATION AND POPULATION DENSITY 8 times. Three crops of vegetables can be taken during OF THE ZONE the season, the important rotations being tomato–tomato– The structure of the population in the Zone is given cauliflower, tomato–cauliflower–radish, cabbage– in Table 3.