Socioeconomic Appraisal and Carbon Sequestration Potential of Prevalent Agroforestry Systems in Baijnath Tehsil of District Kangra, Himachal Pradesh
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Date
2024-02-12
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College of Horticulture and Forestry Dr YSP UHF, Neri, Hamirpur(H.P.)
Abstract
The present study entitled “Socioeconomic Appraisal and Carbon Sequestration Potential of Prevalent Agroforestry Systems in Baijnath Tehsil of District Kangra, Himachal Pradesh” was conducted during the year 2022-2023. The study area lies between: 32° 04’ 24” to 32° 05’ 52" N latitude and 76° 63’ 68" to 76° 72’ 60" E longitude with an elevation ranging from 998 to 1525 m amsl. The study area was selected purposely in which ten panchayats were taken randomly. From each selected panchayat, farmers were divided into three different categories on the basis of their land holdings as per classification of Government of Himachal Pradesh i.e. marginal (<1 ha), small (1-2 ha) and medium (2-5 ha). A random selection of five farmers from each category was taken as the ultimate unit of study. Socioeconomic status of farmers were assessed by taking into consideration their family structure, sex- ratio, educational status of the family members, livestock status, off-farm employment status and land holding size. The average family size was 5.26 individuals per family and literacy rate was recorded 89.30% which was found higher than the overall literacy rate (82.80%) of Himachal Pradesh. The study revealed that six types of agroforestry systems were practiced by the farmers in the study area namely viz., Agrisilviculture (AS), Agrisilvihorticulture (ASH),Agrihorticulture (AH), Agrisilvipastoral (ASP), Silvipastoral (SP) and Pastoralsilviculture (PS). The primary agriculture crops grown were Triticum aestivum, Solanum tuberosum, Brassica rapa, Allium sativum, Brassica oleracea, etc. during rabi season and Oryza sativa, Zeya mays, Abelmoschus exculentus, Glycine max, Solanum lycopersicum, Capsicum annuum, Curcuma longa etc. were grown during kharif season in the
study area. The predominated forest and fruit trees were Celtis australis, Morus alba, Grewia optiva, Ficus palmata, Prunus cerasoides, Bauhinia variegata, Toona ciliata, Mangifera indica, Litchi chinensis, Psidium guajava, Juglans regia, Citus limon, Prunus persica etc. were found in the study area. The highest total biomass (25.28 t ha-1), carbon sequestration (11.37 t ha-1), net returns (1 ,59,354.9 ₹ ha-1yr-1) and B:C ratio(2.21) were obtained under Agrisilvihorticulture (ASH) system whereas, total biomass (11.80 t ha-1), carbon sequestration (6.21 t ha-1), net returns (6163.75 ₹ ha-1yr-1) and B:C ratio (1.78) were found lowest under Pastoralsilviculture (PS) system, respectively. From the above study it is concluded that Agrisilvihorticulture system was found more profitable system and recommended to the farmers of study area. This research work provides a clear picture of the biomass, carbon and economic analysis of prevalent agroforestry systems and acts as a tool for policy makers, researchers, and students to comprehend the agroforestry systems of the study area in order to develop technologies and make improvements that will enable the local farmers to meet their basic needs and get past hurdles.