International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET)
e-ISSN: 2395-0056
Volume: 04 Issue: 07 | July -2017
p-ISSN: 2395-0072
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CROPPING PATTERN AND AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY OF PINDAR BASIN, GARHWAL HIMALAYA Vikram Sharma and Bhanu Prasad Nathani Department of Geography School of Earth Science HNB Garhwal University Srinagar (GWL), Uttarakhand --------------------------------------------------------------------***---------------------------------------------------------------------
Abstract - Agricultural practices are main occupation of inhabitants of the Himalayan basins. It is also a main source of livelihood of majority of the people. About 18.31 percent population is engaged in the production of cereal crops and livestock farming. Along with substantial cereal farming, rearing of animals has an equal proportion in terms of land cover, production and productivity. The farming system in the basin is peculiar, which is based upon the centuries old practices and carried out mainly on narrow patches of terraced fields. The Pindar Basin which extend from 29 0 59’N to 300 21’N Latitude and 790 29’E to 800 5’E Longitude covering the area of 1856.56 km2. It is present in the eastern part of the Garhwal Himalaya (Uttarakhand) with elevation ranging between 782 m to 6861 m. River Pindar originates from the ‘Pindari Glacier’ which confluence with Alaknanda River at Karnprayag in district Chamoli. The paper is analyzing topics agricultural productivity and cropping intensity related to study area. Agricultural productivity of an area is influenced by number of physical and socio-economic factors. Thus it is a function of interplay of physical and cultural variables and it manifests itself through per hectare productivity and total of production. Cropping intensity means the number of crop that is harvested in a year from as single field. It may be single, double or triple cropping systems. The intensity of cropping indicates the efficiency of land use. The intensity of cropping i.e. gross cropped area divided by total cultivated area may be assumed at that point where there is most advantageous conditions.
1. Introduction The Pindar Basin consists of very High Mountain and steep precipitous slopes. Marginal land farmers have attempted to squeeze out a living from lands not suited for crop production and have not only ruined the entire land scape in the process but have created hazards for floods and sedimentation in the area down below and would not usually permit any trace of soil on these hills. However, there are a few redeeming features which make the slopes sufficiently stable to allow some kind of landuse. The pressure of the population except in area where soil is easily workable is too little. Poor accessibility of the area would not provide for major technological changes in near future. On the basis of these assumption it may not be necessary to think of major landuse changes. The strategy for watershed control would mostly confine to improving practices within major and use regions. The survey aspect should therefore aim at locating areas whose potential is not being fully utilized. For example if marginal land is agriculture, it should ecological be treated through reducing its pressure of overgrazing and developing plantation agriculture on it. Ecology problems dealing with environmental degradation consequently result in low productivity in the Pindar Basin. Natural hazards i.e., cloud bursting, soil erosion mainly on rainy season and unrationlized human interferences like unscientific quarrying and blasting for road and dam construction, over grazing, over loping, over following, over plugging and deforestation consequently give birth to low fertility rate and low production and productivity. Yield is very low due to some localized factors, traditional value and old method of ploughing and harvesting. The present study aim to diagnose the nature of land resources and their relations with the natural conditions and scientific quarry and then treat them with ecological measures for the more productivity in the basin. Extension of Pindar valley is from 290 59’ N to 300 21’ N latitude and 790 29’ E to 800 5’ E longitude, area of 1856.56 km2 which is feeding population of 2, 65,600, (2001) residing in different landforms of glacial, glacio fluvial and fluvial (Sharma2011). It represents the eastern part of the Garhwal Himalaya with elevation ranging from 800 m to 6800 m. Pindar River originates from the Pindari Glacier, district Bageshwar 32 Km and flowing an approximate 124 km with its numerous tributaries, confluences into the Alaknanda River at Karanprayag in Chamoli district. The watershed of the Ram Ganga in the South, the Sarju in the east, the Nandakini in the North and the Alaknanda in the North West delimit it and gives it a distinct socio-geographical identity. The study area comprises a part
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