Bio-economic appraisal of existing agroforestry systems in Jawalmukhi tehsil of Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh
Loading...
Date
2023-04-03
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
College of Horticulture and Forestry Dr YSP UHF, Neri, Hamirpur(H.P.)
Abstract
The present investigation, entitled "Bio-economic appraisal of existing agroforestry systems in Jawalamukhi tehsil of Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh", was carried out during the years 2021–22 in Jawalamukhi tehsil of Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh. The coordinates of Tehsil lie between 31⁰87'56" N latitude and 76⁰32'43" E longitude. To study the socioeconomic status and vegetation composition of the land-use systems, sixteen panchayats were chosen, and from each panchayat, two villages were selected. In each village, farmers were divided into three different categories on the basis of their land holdings, i.e., marginal (<1 ha), small (1-2 ha) and medium (2–5 ha), and a random sample of three farmers from each category was taken as the ultimate unit of study. The relevant information about the study was collected through a prestructured schedule through personal interviews with the heads of each household and visits to the fields of the farmers. The socioeconomic status of farmers has been analyzed, taking into consideration their average family structure, sex-ratio, educational status of the head of households, literacy rate of families, livestock status, off-farm employment status, and land holding size. The study revealed that five agroforestry system types were prevalent among different categories of farmers in the study area, viz., AS, ASH, AH, ASP, and SP. The most predominant agroforestry system was AS, followed by ASH. The functional units recorded under different agroforestry system types in the study area under the agriculture component were
wheat, maize, mustard, cauliflower, cabbage, tomato, potato, garlic, turmeric, and arbi etc. The functional units under the Silviculture component were Beul, Tooni, Shisham, Mulberry, Subabool, Kachnar, Chir Pine, Khair, etc. For the horticulture component, Mango, Orange, Jamun, Guava, Litchi, and Citrus, etc. were recorded. whereas, for grass species, Elephant Grass, Setaria, Nut Grass, and Natural Grasses, etc. were recorded. Total biological yield among all existing agroforestry system types was found to be highest (26.78 t ha-1) under the agrisilviculture system and lowest (18.38 t ha-1) in the agrisilvipastoral system. Irrespective of farmer’s categories, maximum net return (1,27,750 Rs. ha-1 yr-1) was obtained from the agrisilviculture system, followed by the agrihorticulture system (1,26,565 Rs. ha-1 yr-1) and the agrisilvihorticulture system (1,27,750 Rs. ha-1 yr-1) respectively. The technological gaps and constraints viz. social, technological, and infrastructural such as disproportionate applications of insecticides, pesticides, and fertilizers; fragmented landholdings; wild/stray animals; lack of efficient marketing channels; communication gaps between lab and land; and ineffective implementation of government-sponsored schemes for the benefits of farming communities were observed in the study area to point out the inherent limitations of existing
agroforestry systems. As a result, improved land-use strategies should be implemented in order to boost the productivity of the area under cultivation with the aid of contemporary scientific inputs and the sustainable usage of resources, so that educated people may also pursue a career in agroforestry farming. As a result, this research work represents a clear picture of biomass and economic analysis of existing agroforestry systems and will assist students, researchers, and policymakers in understanding the agroforestry systems of the study area in order to improve and develop technologies that will assist local farmers in fulfilling basic needs and overcoming existing constraints.