Agro Climatic Zone–Viii : Central Plateau and Hills Region
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LONG-TERM MECHANIZATION STRATEGY PAPERS—AGRO CLIMATIC ZONE–VIII : CENTRAL PLATEAU AND HILLS REGION Long-term Strategies and Programmes for Mechanization of Agriculture in Agro Climatic Zone–VIII : Central Plateau and Hills region Dr M.M. Pandey Project Coordinator, AICRP on Farm Implements and Machinery, Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Bhopal 1. NAME OF AGRO CLIMATIC ZONE : Central Plateau and Hills region 2. STATES UNDER THIS ZONE : Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh 169 STUDY RELATING TO FORMULATING LONG-TERM MECHANIZATION STRATEGY FOR EACH AGRO CLIMATIC ZONE/STATE IN INDIA 3. SUB-AGRO CLIMATIC ZONES WITH THEIR low rainfall of around 700 mm annually, the climate is CHARACTERIZATION dry sub-humid and the soil type is classified as mixed This zone includes 46 districts from three States and red and black. is centrally located. It is interspersed with plateau and 3.5 North Hills hill areas. There are vast areas of barren and uncultivatable land. Water run-off is excessive. Nearly Also called Chhatisgarh Hills sub-zone, this consists 15% of the land is not available for cultivation. of Mandla district. It receives relatively higher rainfall, about 1,570 mm per annum. Around 42% of the land is 3.1 Southern Plains of Rajasthan cultivated and a little over a third of it is irrigated. Tribal This region includes three sub-zones—the South East population is high. Humid Plain consisting of the districts of Dungarpur and 3.6 Kymore Plateau and Satpura Hills Banswara, the Southern Humid Plain consisting of Pali and Sirohi and the Transitional Plain consisting of the This is a vertical strip running down central Madhya districts of Bhilwara, Udaipur and Chittaurgarh. Average Pradesh including Sidhi, Rewa, Satna, Panna, Jabalpur rainfall in the area is about 550 mm per annum, and the and Seoni districts. The region has a relatively high climate is semi-arid. Only 32% of the geographical area proportion of waste and uncultivated lands—about 21%. is under cultivation. 15% is classified as forests and over Another about 22% of the land is under forest cover. 20% is unavailable for cultivation. 29% of the cultivated Only 37% is cultivated. Irrigation facilities are very poor land is irrigated. Productivity is low. as only about ten per cent of the cultivated land is irrigated. 3.2 Eastern Plains of Rajasthan 3.7 Vindhya Plateau This includes three sub-zones. The sub-humid southern plains span over the districts of Bundi and Kota. This is a cluster of six districts—Sehore, Raisen, The semi-arid eastern plains run over the districts of Bhopal, Vidisha, Sagar and Damoh—located in central Ajmer, Tonk and Jaipur. The flood prone eastern plains Madhya Pradesh. This region is more urbanised and has are the districts of Alwar, Bharatpur, Sawai Madhopur a larger portion of its area under cultivation as compareto and Dholpur. the rest of the zone. 53% of the area is cultivated, Although the rainfall, climate and soil condition are however, only 11% of this is irrigated. The region similar to the southern plains, a little over half of the receives about 1,130 mm of rains annually. geographical area is cultivated. 3.8 Satpura Plateau 3.3 Bundelkhand (Uttar Pradesh) Three districts of southern Madhya Pradesh, viz. Bundelkhand lies between the Yamuna and the Betul, Chhindwara and Narsimhapur with a combined Northern scarp of the Vindhyan plains. The agro climatic area of about two million hectares form the Satpura sub-zone Bundelkhand (Uttar Pradesh) includes five Plateau sub-zone. The area receives about 1,120 mm of districts from South-central Uttar Pradesh, viz. Jalaun, rains annually and about 36% of the area is under forest Jhansi, Lalitpur, Hamirpur and Banda. It receives about cover. Around 52% of the geographical area is tilled, 900 mm of rainfall. but only about 13% of this is with the assistance of A little over 60% of the area is cultivated, but developed irrigation facilities. The area has a high compared to other parts of Uttar Pradesh, the sub-zone proportion of tribal population. has less developed irrigation facilities. Only about 25% 3.9 Central Narmada Valley of the cultivated area is irrigated as against a State average of nearly 60%. Soil erosion is high and land productivity This is Hoshangabad district lying between the is low. Vindhya and Satpura plateau. It rains about 1,300 mm annually and the soil is deep black. 45% of the 3.4 Bundelkhand (Madhya Pradesh) geographical area is cultivated. Irrigation facilities are The proportion of wastelands is very high at about limited to around 39% of the cultivated area. 37% in this sub-zone. Only about 45% of the land is cultivated; a little over a third of the cultivated area is 3.10 Gird irrigated. The sub-zone includes the districts of Datia, Morena, Bhind, Gwalior, Shivpuri and Guna districts Chhatarpur and Tikamgarh. The area receives relatively of north Madhya Pradesh comprise Gird sub-zone. This 170 LONG-TERM MECHANIZATION STRATEGY PAPERS—AGRO CLIMATIC ZONE–VIII : CENTRAL PLATEAU AND HILLS REGION region is rich in alluvial soils but has a large proportion Table 1. Operational land holding pattern by major size of ravines. Net sown area is low at about 37% of groups geographical area. Only 36% of the cultivated area is Sub zone Farm size Nos. Average area irrigated. Rainfall is limited to only 670 mm. (ha) (ha) 4. GENERAL TOPOGRAPHY OF THE ZONE Kymore plateau < 1 3,63,668 0.41 In Madhya Pradesh, in Kymore plateau sub-zone, the > 1 to 2 1,84,431 1.44 topography is undulated and sloppy; in Vindhyachal Plateau sub-zone, it is plain to undulated; in Central > 2 to 4 1,59,924 2.76 Narmada Valley sub-zone, it is plain; in Gird region, it > 4 to 10 1,14,379 6.06 is plain to undulated; in Bundelkhand region, it is plain > 10 29,445 16.65 with small hillock (5% slope) while in Satpura Plateau sub-zone, it is plain to undulated. In the Southern-eastern humid plain zone (Rajasthan), Vindhyachal plateau < 1 3,04,096 0.45 the most distinguish feature of Bundi region is a double > 1 to 2 2,04,776 1.44 line of hills running through the districts in the north > 2 to 4 1,76,477 2.79 east and south west directions. This range is characterized by hills and ridges, made up of Vindhyan rock, varying > 4 to 10 1,41,834 6.11 in height between 91 to 547 metres above sea level. > 10 44,991 17.37 North-western part of the district is hilly with hard and stony soil, while south eastern plains have rich black loamy soil. In Kota district, the land slopes gently from Central Narmada < 1 80,101 0.50 south to north and is retained by the Chambal and eastern valley > 1 to 2 92,339 1.34 plains portion. Jhalawar district stands at the edge of > 2 to 4 82,447 2.81 Malwa plateau with an area of low hills and shallow > 4 to 10 76,454 6.12 plains. > 10 22,586 17.58 5. OPERATIONAL LAND HOLDING PATTERN BY MAJOR SIZE GROUPS Gird region < 1 2,61,438 0.51 Operational land holding pattern is given in Table 1. > 1 to 2 2,08,285 1.44 6. IMPORTANT SOIL TYPES > 2 to 4 1,91,339 2.79 • Mixed red and black (Kymore plateau). > 4 to 10 1,28,022 5.95 • Medium and deep black (Vindhya plateau). > 10 26,712 16.67 • Deep black with clay (Central Narmada Valley). • Alluvial, medium black soil, mixed red and black Bundelkhand region < 1 1,28,165 0.52 soil and red and yellow soil (Gird sub zone). > 1 to 2 1,09,047 1.45 • Clay and clay loams and sandy loam soils (Bundelkhand). > 2 to 4 89,836 2.74 • Light reddish brown to black clay loam (Satpura). > 4 to 10 50,962 5.82 • Alluvial, recent alluvium and calcareous (Flood > 10 8,852 15.57 prone eastern plain zone). • Lithosols at the foot-hills in Udaipur, Bhilwara Satpura plateau < 1 97,234 0.41 and Chittorgarh districts, away from the hills they > 1 to 2 77,885 1.48 are old alluvium (Sub-humid southern plain and Aravalli hill zone). > 2 to 4 83,809 2.78 • Red, mixed red, black and medium black > 4 to 10 69,731 6.10 (Southern humid plain zone). > 10 17,806 15.18 171 STUDY RELATING TO FORMULATING LONG-TERM MECHANIZATION STRATEGY FOR EACH AGRO CLIMATIC ZONE/STATE IN INDIA • Black soils of alluvial origin. The soils vary in 8. POPULATION AND POPULATION DENSITY depth from shallow to very deep with Kankar and OF THE ZONE lime cast gravel at varying depths. The texture is Kymore Plateau and Satpura Hills Zone: generally clay loam to clay. These soils are • Population : 68.99 lakh moderate to slowly permeable and generally non- • Density per sq. km. : 137 saline and alkaline. (South eastern humid plain Details relating to population and population density zone) are given in Table 2. 7. ANNUAL RAINFALL Table 2. Distribution of population and density of population State Total population Density (per sq. km) Kymore Plateau zone: 1,200–1,500 mm Gird zone 800–900 mm Madhya Pradesh 6,03,85,118 196 Vindhya Plateau 1,000–1,200 mm Rajasthan 5,64,73,122 165 Central Narmada 1,000–1,200 mm Uttar Pradesh 42,90,928 142.8 Bundelkhand 800–1,000 mm 9. BRIEF SCENARIO OF AGRICULTURE Satpura plateau 1,000–1,200 mm SECTOR South eastern humid plain zone 690–1,000 mm The important crops of the region area-wise, Southern humid plain zone 82 mm productivity of crops, productivity of horticultural crops Sub-humid Southern Plain and 1,500–900 mm etc., sowing changing scenario/diversification over a Aravalli Hill Zone period of time is given in the Tables 3 to 6.