The Alaknanda Basin (Uttarakhand Himalaya): a Study on Enhancing and Diversifying Livelihood Options in an Ecologically Fragile Mountain Terrain”

<ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Enhancing and Diversifying Livelihood Options </li><li style="flex:1">ICSSR PDF </li></ul>A Final Report On “The Alaknanda Basin (Uttarakhand Himalaya): A Study on Enhancing and Diversifying Livelihood Options in an Ecologically Fragile Mountain Terrain” Under the Scheme of General Fellowship Submitted to Indian Council of Social Science Research Aruna Asaf Ali Marg JNU Institutional Area New Delhi By Vishwambhar Prasad Sati, Ph. D. General Fellow, ICSSR, New Delhi Department of Geography HNB Garhwal University Srinagar Garhwal, Uttarakhand E-mail: [email protected] Vishwambhar Prasad Sati 1<ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Enhancing and Diversifying Livelihood Options </li><li style="flex:1">ICSSR PDF </li></ul>ABBREVIATIONS ••••••••AEZ- Agri Export Zones APEDA- Agriculture and Processed food products Development Authority ARB- Alaknanda River Basin BDF- Bhararisen Dairy Farm CDPCUL- Chamoli District Dairy Production Cooperative Union Limited FAO- Food and Agricultural Organization FDA- Forest Development Agency GBPIHED- Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development ••••••••H and MP- Herbs and Medicinal Plants HAPPRC- High Altitude Plant Physiology Center HDR- Human Development Report HDRI- Herbal Research and Development Institute HMS- Himalayan Mountain System ICAR- Indian Council of Agricultural Research ICIMOD- International Center of Integrated Mountain and Development ICSSR- Indian Council of Social Science Research LSI- Livelihood Sustainability Index •••••••••••••••••••IDD- Iodine Deficiency Disorder IMDP- Intensive Mini Dairy Project JMS- Journal of Mountain Science MPCA- Medicinal Plant Conservation Area MRD- Mountain Research and Development NAGI- National Association of Geographers, India NAP- National Afforestation Programme NORAD- Norway Research and Development NSP- Nauti Sub-Projects NTFP- Non-Timber Forest Products PIB- Public Investment Board PRA- Participatory Rural Appraisal SC- Scheduled Caste ST- Scheduled Tribes TF- Terraced Farmland ULDB- Uttarakhand Livestock Development Board UTDB- Uttarakhand Tea Development Board VFDC- Village Forest Development Committee VFDC- Valley Flower Development Corporation Vishwambhar Prasad Sati 2<ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Enhancing and Diversifying Livelihood Options </li><li style="flex:1">ICSSR PDF </li></ul>GLOSSARY Agriculture: the occupation, business, or science of cultivating the land, producing crops, and raising livestock Agronomy: The science of soil management, land cultivation, and crop production Bugyal: Bugyal is a nomenclature for alpine meadows Cash crops: A crop grown for direct sale rather than personal consumption Danda: Highland forested land Diversification: The provision or development of greater variety Ecology: The study of the relationships and interactions between living organisms and their natural or developed environment Emigration: The act of leaving a native country to live in another country Enhancement: To improve or add to the strength, worth, beauty, or other desirable quality of something Fragile: easy to break, damage, or harm, usually because delicate or brittle Gad and Gadhera: Gad and Gadhera is synonym to stream Gangar: Lowland residential area Immigration: The act of people entering into a new country to settle permanently Khet and Bari: Synonym to agricultural fields Livelihood: Work done to earn a living or whatever provides a source of income Niche: Any recess or hollow, such as in a rock formation Off-season: A time of year when activity or business is at a low level Sectoral: A component of an integrated system such as an economy or a society Vishwambhar Prasad Sati 3<ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Enhancing and Diversifying Livelihood Options </li><li style="flex:1">ICSSR PDF </li></ul>EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Enhancing and diversifying livelihood options in the mountain regions need attention in the wake of framing an integral strategy for coping with physical hazards and food insecurity. It must also seek ways to improve livelihood and generate economic growth through which increased security- physical, economic, and social- can be obtained. The populace of the mountain regions is fully depended on the mixed agriculture systems, which include farming of subsistence cereal crops and animal husbandry for their livelihood. Low production and productivity (per ha yield), home consumption of produced materials, and limited access to market characterizes the systems. The potentials to avail sustainability through enhancing and diversifying livelihood options, within the context of vulnerability and fragility of mountain terrain, has largely been untapped by mountain residents. Thus, the phenomenon of poverty, food insecurity, and malnutrition is common. In addition, dependency on forest resource for firewood and fodder and population pressure on the mountain niche is high, which is leading for severe environmental degradation. Most of the mountain areas have not been able to adequate harness their unique resources to improve mountain livelihoods because of inadequate and unfavourable policies towards mountains. Harnessing mountain niches appropriately through better management of natural resources and application of technologies and new methods of production and exchange do generate employment and income opportunities in the mountains. However, the cultivation of off-season vegetables, fruits, medicinal plants, and appropriate use of non-timber based forest products and the other unique resources of the mountains demonstrate their high potential to provide viable bases for households to rise above poverty and subsistence. In mountain areas, livelihood options are often linked to a range of economic activities, products, and productivity of cereal farming, the natural assets of mountains, as well as economic and human assets. Harnessing mountain resources for hydropower and tourism development and for the production of food and non-food products for urban centers and conserving resources to generate valuable environmental services, among others, can create new employment and income opportunities in these areas. Human resource development, on the other hand, is vital for all round development of the mountain regions. The hill farming system is complex and crop production, animal husbandry, and forestry are intricately linked. They simultaneously determine the living standards of the farm families, income, and employment levels, as well as affect their surrounding environment. Forestlands provide fuel wood, fodder, and timber. Croplands provide food, fodder, and crop residue. However, croplands also require manure, which is available from cow dung and litter from forestlands. Thus, livestock connect these land resources by converting fodder into drought power and dung nutrient, in addition to providing food and income to households. Large parts of the basin are still isolated pockets and located in remote areas, which are insulated from market forces. Transport network and communication facilities have not reached many parts of the basin. Movement of the people and farm products to urban centers is difficult. Tourism can play an important role in some the picturesque areas of the basin. Development of educational facilities is a major aspect, which will surely lead a way for overall development. Similarly, installation of micro-hydro power projects will provide power for ropeways, which are very useful to cope with transportation problems, particularly with road transportation. It is major assumption of this study that enhancing and diversifying livelihood options may increase the food security among the households. Vishwambhar Prasad Sati 4<ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Enhancing and Diversifying Livelihood Options </li><li style="flex:1">ICSSR PDF </li></ul>Global changes can be noticed everywhere in mountain regions. Population increased manifolds. The changes in farming systems have been observed apparently. The cereal crop farming was not enough to meet the increasing food demands resulted in change in cultivation from millets to paddy and wheat. During the past, paddy and wheat was rarely sown but now it is very common food. It was observed that cultivation of wheat and paddy has increased production and food security as the people became self-reliant. Even today, a large proportion of sown area is devoted for paddy and wheat crops. The reality of climate change, particularly in the mountain regions, is required an appraisal of climate data for a century or more. Currently, the perception of all groups of society towards the impact of climate change in mountain regions is parallel. The areas where intensive cultivation of apple fruit was carried out during the past are no more for its cultivation. During the 1980s and 90s, a large-scale cultivation of fruits and off-season vegetables was carried out. The production of potato and onion tremendously got a momentum but it was reduced considerably and currently more land is devoted to paddy and wheat. The increasing trend of cultivating paddy and wheat shows its importance in cropping pattern. It does not need market because it is grown for self-reliant. Cash crops need market and other necessary facilities, which is seldom available in the region. Developmental intervention through government agencies needs a considerable policy framework. Crops diversity needs conserved but at the same time a considerable proportion of cultivable land has to be devoted for case crops. Both situations are favourable for sustainable livelihood. For the centuries, the local people are practicing different systems of cultivation in this hilly region as trial and error. No doubt, sustainability in livelihood has been achieved to a certain extend but hard working nature, particularly of women is still prevailed. In the highlands, development of infrastructural facilities could not take place. The people are struggling for basic needs of food, cloth, and shelter. Many studies have been carried out by the researchers and academicians so far for enhancing and diversifying livelihood options. The government has also initiated people’s supportive programmes for speedy development and welfare of the local people. Earlier, all segments of society have the perceptions that due to the uniqueness of the region and its ruling from a large state, development formulas could not be fitted and then struggle was started for a separate state. Finally in 2000, a part of the hilly region as Uttarakhand State was carved out. Eight years have been gone and nothing has been done. Institution involvement in terms of encouraging farmers to cultivate certain cash crops e.g. herbs and providing them financial assistance, insurance of their crops at the time of crop failure, and prepaid cash of their crops. Government initiatives for any development programmes have the multiple impacts on the area or region particularly at the situation, when the government has to control over entire affairs of the state. The impacts may be negative or positive depending upon the degree of involvement and rationale of planning. Political instability and lacking in involvement towards development planning further deteriorates the aspect of livelihood. Lacking in proper marketing remains a major hurdle for the growers of various cash crops. Farmers do not get even their returns. Infrastructural facilities as transportation and cold storages are slackened. In many occasions, the products do not sold out. The villages, where the agro-ecological conditions are suitable for growing cash crops are inaccessible. Farmers intend to grow them extensively. Smooth marketing will be a base for growing cash crops. Vishwambhar Prasad Sati 5<ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Enhancing and Diversifying Livelihood Options </li><li style="flex:1">ICSSR PDF </li></ul>PREFACE Diversifying and enhancing livelihood options for reducing poverty and securing livelihood is an essential activity. It has greater relevance in the areas where subsistence economy dominates. About 70% of the world economy is based upon the cultivation of subsistence cereal crops. This practice is a major characteristic feature of the developing countries. Mountain constitutes about 20% of the total Earth land-surface with underdeveloped economy. Agriculture is carried out in the narrow and terraced fields. Cultivation of subsistence cereals dominates the cropping pattern. Production and per ha yield of corps is considerably low. It does not meet even two times food requirements of the poor marginal farmers. The Alaknanda basin constitutes one of the major sub-systems of the Ganges. It has four vertical zones from the valley regions to highly elevated Himalayan ranges i.e., sub-tropical, sub-temperate, temperate, and alpine. Human interaction is limited upto to the temperate zones. Intensive agricultural activities are carried out on the niches of the mid-altitudes and highlands. In the valley regions, wherever terraced fields are found, an agriculture practice is done. Suitability in agro-ecological conditions for growing cash generating crops; fruits and off-season vegetables in particular, presents a way for sustainable development of the region. Similarly, presence of dense forest with high diversity manifests a way for diversifying livelihood. Multiple uses of timber and non-timber forest products such as bees and bee keeping, natural dyes, bamboo and bamboo based products, herbs, wild fruits and its products- juice, jams, morrabba etc., oak bark and its products and number of other products can enhance the livelihood of the people. I felt a need to carry out a precise study on the sustainable livelihood in the Uttarakhand Himalaya. The Alaknanda basin was selected as a case study area. A research proposal was submitted to Indian Council of Social Science Research New Delhi under ‘General Fellowship Scheme’. The present study was carried out under such scheme and commenced at the Department of Geography, HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar Garhwal, Uttarakhand, India. The main purpose of the study is to find out the options for diversifying and enhancing livelihood under the rich geo-environmental and agro-ecological conditions. The study reveals that the Alaknanda basin has tremendous scope of sustainable livelihood. Development of infrastructural facilities and quality education is the key of development. Government intervention for development activities and community participation together will assist for implementation of policies and planning. All matter from production to marketing of products should be given in the hand of community people. Vishwambhar Prasad Sati Vishwambhar Prasad Sati 6<ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Enhancing and Diversifying Livelihood Options </li><li style="flex:1">ICSSR PDF </li></ul>ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This study is an output of ‘General Fellowship’ scheme of the Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi. It was commenced at the Department of Geography, HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar Garhwal, Uttarakhand. I acknowledge my sincere thanks to the Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi for awarding me ‘General Fellowship’. I am obligated to Dr. G. S. Saun and Dr. Sara John for their valuable assistance from time to time. Similarly, I acknowledge my gratitude to the Vice Chancellor, Registrar, and Department of Geography, HNB Garhwal University for providing me necessary facilities to commence this project. I am greatly thankful of the Head, Department of Geography Prof. D. D. Maithani for his sincere guidance. I had a comprehensive discussion on the issues of sustainable livelihood with Prof. Kamlesh Kumar, retired Professor of Geography. I thank him very much. I acknowledge my gratitude to Dr. I. K. Mansoori, Deputy Registrar, Jiwaji University, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh for his sincere assistance from time to time. I tender my thanks to Dr. M. S. Negi who help me during my field visit. I am grateful of the GBP Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development especially of Dr. Maikhuri for his valuable suggestions. The faculty members of the Department of Geography- Prof. R. S. Panwar, Prof. M. S. S. Rawat, Dr. M. S. Panwar, Dr. B. P. Naithani, and Dr. Lakhera are greatly thankful. I am thankful of the people of Khanda Gad and Kewer Gadhera villages who provided precise information about their livelihood through interview and questionnaire. The extension workers of the various departments working in the field of agriculture, horticulture, and other related departments are equally thankful for providing me valuable information. I had a wide discussion with the experts of various departments regarding sustainability of livelihood. I am thankful of them. I am thankful of statistical departments of Chamoli and Pauri districts for providing secondary data on land use and population. It will be unwise, if I will not mention the contribution extended by my family member wife Nirmala and daughter Vishwani. They allow me to join the Garhwal University while they were staying at Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh. I am also grateful of my elder sister Mrs. Rajeshwari Kanti and brother in law Sh. Girdhar Prasad Kanti for helping me a lot. I am also thankful of Sh. Bhagwati Prasad Sharma, who assisted me during field visit. In the last but not the least, I dedicate this work to my parents- mother late Smt. Saradi Devi and Father late Shri Shiv Dutt Sati and those working for the welfare of mountain people. Vishwambhar Prasad Sati Vishwambhar Prasad Sati 7<ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Enhancing and Diversifying Livelihood Options </li><li style="flex:1">ICSSR PDF </li></ul>LIST OF TABLES Table 1.1: Mean Monthly Temperature in the Alaknanda Basin Table 1.2: Rainfall Data of the Alaknanda Basin Table 1.3: Rainfall in the Alaknanda Basin Table 1.4: Chemical Analysis of Sample Areas of the Alaknanda Basin Table 2.1: Land Use Pattern in the Alaknanda Basin 2004 (ha) Table 2.2: Cropping Pattern in the Alaknanda Basin Table 2.3: Irrigated Area (ha) Table 2.4: Taluk Wise Population Structure Table 2.5: Taluk Wise Literacy and Working Population (Percentage of Total Population) Table 2.6: Taluk Wise SC and ST Population (Percentage of Total Population) Table 3.1 Production (quintal) and Productivity (per ha yield) of Traditional Crops and Vegetables (2003) Table 3.2 Income from Traditionally Cultivated Crops and Off-Season Vegetables Table 3.3 Case Study of a Terraced Farmland (TF) Table 3.4 Cultivated Vegetable Crops and Availability Time Table 3.5: Distribution of Fruits in the Alaknanda basin Table 3.6: Target under IMDP in Uttarakhand (2004-05 to 2008-09) Table 3.7: Bhararisen Dairy Farm at a Glance Table 3.8: Milk Yields and Fodder Requirement (Per Day) Table 3.9: Proposed Tea Projects of Uttarakhand Table 3.10: Tea Cultivation in Nauti Sub-Project Table 3.11: Details of Rosin Industry in Lastar Gad Table 3.12: Potential Wild Edibles in the Alaknanda Valley Table 3.13: List of Medicinal plants used in Ayurvedic medicines Table 3.14: List of Sacred plant species of Garhwal Himalaya Table 3.15: Religious festivals associated with sacred trees Table 3.16: Year-wise Seedlings availability Table: 3.17: Species of MP and Number of Collectors Table 3.18: The distribution of medicinal plants by their habit in Uttarakhand Table 3.19: Plants and Their Parts used in Preparing Natural Dye Table 3.20: Comparative Account of Various Colours Sold over the Years at the Local Market of Joshimath Table 3.21: Average Income Generated through Sale of Woolen Products/Family/Year Table 4.1: Valley-Wise Average Income Table 4.2: Village-Wise Average Expenditure Table 4.3: Income, Expenditure, and Saving Table 5.1: Characteristics of Tourism in the Alaknanda Basin Table 5.2: Tourist Inflow in Major Places Chamoli and Rudraprayag Table 5.3: Tourist Traffic to the Shrines of Badrinath and Kedarnath Table 5.4: Details of selected hydropower projects in Garhwal region Table 6.1: Number of Households and Change in Percentage Table 6.2: Population Structure Table 6.3: Changes in Land Use (ha) 1971*-2007** Table 6.4: Demographic Profile of Nepali Immigrants Table 6.5: Production of Off-Season Vegetables in Khanda Gad 2007-08 Table 6.6: Area and Annual Income of Off-Season Vegetables and Cereal Crops 2007-2008 Table 6.7: Production and per ha Yield from Off-Season Vegetables and Subsistence Crops 2007-08 Table 6.8: Changes in Area and Number of HHs (1971-2001) Table 6.9: Population Structure (1971-2001)

The Alaknanda Basin (Uttarakhand Himalaya): a Study on Enhancing and Diversifying Livelihood Options in an Ecologically Fragile Mountain Terrain”

Details

Download

Copyright

We respect the copyrights and intellectual property rights of all users. All uploaded documents are either original works of the uploader or authorized works of the rightful owners.

Support