Singh, S. BasantaTyngkan, Hehlangki2023-02-102023-02-102022-08https://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810193617Soil degradation is described as the rate at which soil quality degrades, leading to a reduction in agricultural yields, as a result of activities primarily driven by human activity. Meghalaya has the wettest environment on the planet, and its high terrain with tiny valleys in between limits the amount of land available for cultivation. Due to unprecedented rainfall and its high intensity, the problem of soil erosion persists in the state. Consequently, soil erosion in the state accelerated by primitive agricultural practices such as jhum and bun. Keeping the above facts in view, the study on the economics of soil conservation in Meghalaya was planned with the objectives: (i) to study the economics of different soil conservation methods vis-à-vis conventional farming (ii) to study the adoption of soil conservation practices by the farmers in the study area (iii) to assess the impact of soil conservation practices on income, employment and equity of farmers in the study area (iv) to derives policy implications for improvement of soil conservation measures in the state. For the study, primary data consisting of 120 adopters and 120 non-adopters of soil conservation were collected from East Khasi Hills and Ri-Bhoi districts. Benefit-cost analysis, binary logistic regression model, paired t-test, Gini index, Lorenz curve; policy documentation and consultation with different agencies were employed to achieve the above defined objectives. The study revealed that, all the adopted soil conservation (SC) measures viz., bench terracing, contour bunding, peripheral bunding, loose boulder bunding and check dam had positive Net Present Value (NPV), B-C ratio more than one and Internal Rate of return (IRR) more than the considering discount factor (10%). Among the various SC, bench terracing had the highest NPV `264515.58) and IRR (24.36%) whereas loose boulder bunding had the highest B-C ratio (1.53). The economics of selected crops between the adopters and non-adopters of SC showed a significant difference over non-adopters in potato, cabbage and carrot with a difference in net return of `19325.44, `11310.22 and `15482.07, respectively. Out of 13 regressors taken into consideration for determining the factors affecting the adoption of SC by the farmers, age, sex, education, farm income, off-farm income, livestock, access to credit and training were significant. In both the adopters and non-adopters’ categories, majority of the farmers belonged in the income group of `30001-`60000 (39.17% and 48.33 % respectively) followed by `60001-`90000 (35.83% and 30.83% respectively). However, adopters had higher income with the difference of `16,723.65 as compared to the non-adopters. The Lorenz curve and Gini index (0.28 for adopters and 0.38 for non-adopters) depicted a comparatively even distribution of income among the adopters. Per farm employment showed a significant difference at 285.95 mandays and 243.18 mandays in adopters and non-adopters, respectively. The priority areas for action identified to improve the adoption of SC measures in the state include building partnerships, up-scaling of SC practices, building community capability, maximum participation in MGNREGA scheme, economic incentives, promotion of conservation agriculture (CA) and promotion of payment for ecosystem services (PES). The overall results on feasibility analysis for various SC measures were encouraging and hence regular awareness programs are necessary to motivate farmers for adopting appropriate erosion control measures in their field to bring positive returns while enhancing the productivity of the soil in long termEnglishSoil conservationEconomic analysisThesis