Agro-Horticulture

REMOTE SENSING AND GIS FOR INTEGRATED LAND MANAGEMENT: CASE OF INDIA R.B.Singh and Dilip Kumar Department of Geography Delhi School of Economics University of Delhi Delhi-110007, India E-mail:[email protected] … ISSUES Land resources have reached a critical point due to greater pressure with the growing demand for food, fibre and fuel by the burgeoning population in India. High population pressure with pressing need to increase agricultural production, low soil fertility compounded by low levels of soil organic matter, inappropriate soil and water management practices are causing land degradation. About 97 per cent of all food that human beings consume comes from the land, while only 3 per cent comes from aquatic habitats. More than 90 per cent of rural and nearly 30 per cent urban population in India is dependent on ground water sources for meeting their drinking and domestic water requirements. It also forms the major source of irrigation accounting for more than 50 per cent of the total irrigation potential created. Frequent flood and drought is the regular phenomena. Such multiple requirements called for the optimum utilization of land. AIM & OBJECTIVE To generate sustainable development plan for the area, which is optimally suitable to the terrain and to the productive potential of the local resources so that the level of production is sustained without decline over time. EXTENT : 83 19’ 38.32” East to 84 51’ 2.80” East Longitude and 24 30’ 10.54” North to 25 45’ 33.91” North Latitude GEOGRAPHICAL AREA : 10,98,393 hectares NO of DISTRICTS : 4 (Four), Bhojpur, Buxar, Rohtas and Bhabhua (Kaimur). NO of BLOCKS: 55. Bhojpur : 14 Blocks Buxar : 11 Blocks Rohtas : 19 Blocks Bhabhua : 11 Blocks TOTAL POPULATION: 73,70,214 persons. 8.89 per cent to total population of Bihar state. Population density : 696 persons per sq. km. Sex ratio :904 Female /1000 male Literacy rate : 58.78 per cent. RAINFALL (Average Annual ) : 1185 mm TEMPERATURE Summer :32 C in May (Mean Annual) Winter :16 C in January MAJOR RIVERS: Ganga, Son, Karamnasa, Durgawati, Dharmawati, Thora, Gurwat, Saur, etc. WATERSHED: 13. The study area is seismically fall in the zone III and IV. WATERSHEDS Watershed Name : River System Area (Ha.) River / Nala Name WS1 : Dehra, Dharmavati Ganga 191209.11 WS2 : Gangi, Kumhari Ganga 137295.20 WS3 : LB-Son, Susana Son 104781.28 WS4 : Thora, Kochan, Kao Ganga 154268.58 WS5 : Dharmauti Karamnasa 115954.83 WS6 : Kudra Karamnasa 96057.57 WS7 : Durgauti Karamnasa 98677.47 WS8 : Saur Karamnasa 104702.12 WS9 : RB-Karamnasa Karamnasa 24007.09 WS10 : Gurwat Karamnasa 22532.89 WS11 : Karamnasa Karamnasa 22336.33 WS12 : Ninedah Karamnasa 3328.35 WS13 : LB-Along Son, Bhawatia Son 23242.18 Total 10,98,393.00 Objectives METHODOLOGY Natural / Physical Socio-Economic & Contemporary Technology Resources Demographic Data Soil, drainage, Agriculture Geology, Water management Social profile Watershed Water harvesting Demographic profile Geomorphology, Ground water Cultural profile Land use/cover, exploration Economics profile Rainfall & Climate Fisheries Slope, aspect & altitude infrastructures Transport Network Backward region identification Thematic map Socially backward regions Information Economics backward regions Area lacking basic amenities /infrastructures Natural / Physical resources based development Possibility resource regions Watershed Integration of Prioritisation multi-thematic map Resource Management Suggestion / Decisions Rule Recommendation Implementation Data sources The secondary sources from various Government Departments: •Survey of India, •National Atlas & Thematic Mapping Organisation, •Geological Survey of India, •Meteorological Department, •Forest Survey of India, •Bihar Remote Sensing Application Centre, •National Remote Sensing Agency, •Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, •All India Survey & Land Use Survey, •District Administration office, District Statistics and District Agriculture Departments of Bhojpur, Rohtas, Bhabhua and Buxar districts in Bihar, •National Bureau Soil Survey & Land Use Planning (NBSSLUP), •Census of India, etc. The primary survey was done in the study area METHODOLOGY: LAND USE ANALYSIS Physiography Taxonomy Land Use Flooding Seismic Hazard (Kharif Season) Geomorphology Soil Depth Oct - Nov, 2004 Drought Salinity / Sodicity Soil Particle Size Climate Land Use Soil Erosion Calcareousness (Rabi Season) Surface Drainage Slope Feb - Mar, 2005 Soil Problem Soil pH Soil Texture Parent Material Critical Land Capability Land Use Environmental Ground Water Classification 2004 - 05 Issues Potential Integration for Composite Land Unit Contemporary Decision Rule Technology Optimum / Potential Land Use Remote sensing based Land use/cover in Kharif Season 2004 Area Area Land Use (in Hectare) (in Percentage) Agriculture 448583.70 40.85 fallow land 126754.55 11.54 Dense forest 82928.67 7.55 Open forest 83258.19 7.58 Scrub forest 8347.79 0.76 Built up 26361.43 2.40 Sandbar 13510.23 1.23 Waterbody 26471.27 2.41 Waterlogging 205838.85 18.74 Other 76338.31 6.95 Total 1098393.00 100.00 : Remote sensing based Land use/cover in Rabi Season 2005 Area Area land use (in Hectares) (in Percentage) Agriculture land 603457.11 54.95 Fallow land 186616.97 16.99 Dense forest 82928.67 7.55 Open forest 83258.19 7.58 Scrub forest 9006.82 0.82 Built up 26361.43 2.40 Sandbar 16475.90 1.50 Waterbody 10654.41 0.97 other 79633.49 7.25 Total 1098393.00 100.00 Remote sensing based Land use/cover in 2004 – 2005 (Kharif + Rabi) Built-up land 26358.85 2.40 Double Crop 382239.17 34.71 (Rabi + Kharif) Single Crop 66830.84 6.08 (Kharif) Single Crop 222235.82 20.23 (Rabi) Fallow Land 150883.19 13.74 Forest (Dense) 83020.60 7.55 Forest (Open) 83300.96 7.58 Forest (Scrub) 8905.82 0.81 Waterbody 13486.72 1.23 Sandbar 15670.52 1.53 Other 45460.51 4.14 Total 1098393 100 MAJOR RESULTS OF LAND USE ANALYSIS The central part of the study area is also known as ‘Rice bowl’. The main reason is alluvial plain and the irrigation facility of the Son canal system. There are 26 per cent area under single crop land should be treated for the optimum use. There are approx. 14 per cent areas under the fallow land and these lands can be used for other uses. There is less area under the forest. The analysis reveals that there are approx. 16 per cent of land is under this category and more that 50 per cent are degraded in form of open and scrub forest. Flooding in Kharif season in Bhojpur and Buxar district, has reduced the cropland and the fallow land and water-logging areas increased. The analysis reveals that the double crop area can increase from 34.71 per cent to 66.44 per cent. Among these 56.91 per cent i.e. 64 per cent more land can be used as double crop without any problems of soil and water. Agro-horticulture The concept of agro-horticulture i.e. growing fruit trees in combination with agricultural crops has been suggested in these areas. Where production of annual crops is inefficient, the land is not capable for the double croponly rabi crop is cultivated and land is not capable for kharif. The land should be put under the Agro-horticulture. There are 84243.46 hectares of land can be used for agro-horticulture, that constitute 7.67 per cent of the total study area. Horticulture Where the land is fallow for long period and poor rabi crop area, horticulture can be suggested for optimum land use. This includes fruits, vegetables, spices, floriculture plantations. The analysis reveals that 33072.07 hectares of land can be optimum utilized by horticulture, constitute 3.01 per cent of the total area instead of (3844.38 hectare) 0.35 per cent existing horticulture use. Afforestation / Gap filling The open forest land should be put under the gap filling. This activity can occurs in the forest area where the space between the forest or in the open forest area The 24,425 hectares of land can be put under afforestation that covers 2.22 per cent of the total study area, among these 10251.35 hectares of land need the special attention. The analysis reveals that very less area is under the forest in the alluvial plains. The analysis reveals that 0.93 per cent of the total area needs, special attention due to the moderated to very severe erosion problems, for the new forest plantation and erosion control measures. It prevent soil erosion and runoff by reducing the soil and water losses from such land. Trees and shrubs directly providing useful and basic products (wood, fodder and food etc). Silvi-pasture / fodder and fuel The silvi-pasture is one alternative land use system available for improving the fodder resources of the study area. The total area under fodder and fuel is 1539.69 hectares covering 0.14 per cent of the total study area. METHODOLOGY: WATER HARVESTING Watershed Settlement Surface Waterbody Rainfall Soil Ground Water Erosion Slope Flood Potential Overlay Analysis Contemporary Technology Suggest Water Harvesting Structures Flooding method Ditch and Furrows method Runoff Conservation Structures Minor irrigation tanks Nala bunds and percolation tanks Bench Terracing Farm ponds Contour bunds Check dams Ditch and Furrows method: This method involves construction of shallow, flat- bottomed and closely spaced ditches or furrows to provide maximum water contact area for recharge from source stream or canal. The ditches should have adequate slope to maintain flow velocity and minimum deposition of sediments. A collecting channel to convey the excess water back to the source stream or canal should also be provided. Though this technique involve less soil

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