Managing terraced lowland and medium sloping land for sustainable agriculture: a study from the Eastern Ghat region of India

Abstract

Judicious management of the terraced lowlands and adjacent medium-sloping lands of the Eastern Ghat Region in India was addressed through a case study, in order to develop a sustainable agriculture package as a resource for poor tribal farmers. Quantification of available water resources during the period 2004–2007 revealed that average base flow and surface flow (as percentage of total rainfall) at a level of 37.2 and 34.7% respectively, could be made available in the study area, and would otherwise go out of the system without proper utilization. Economic resource conservation options for farmers, such as the management of paddy field riser bunds through construction of semi-mechanical runoff disposal devices supplemented with a Eulaliopsis binata vegetative barrier, helped in reducing runoff and soil loss by 10.6% and 1.45tha-1, respectively. Through paired t-tests at a 5% probability level, significant differences were observed in the reduction of the sediment yield, when comparing the proposed techniques with the farmers’ practices. Introduction of a promising HYV paddy cultivar (Oryza sativa L. or Lalat) fortified with the application of Gliricidia sepium leaves (grown on the periphery of the terraced lowlands) resulted in a paddy yield of 4.2tha-1 as against 1.7tha-1 obtained through the local paddy cultivar. Further, based on the availability of runoff water through a perennial stream, it was found that provision for a diversion irrigation channel constructed to harvest water would be a promising option for irrigating the adjacent medium-sloping land for remunerative vegetable cultivation. Overall, the developed integrated package resulted in a cost–benefit ratio of 2.6:1 with a net present value of Rs. 116 000.00 (US$2900) at a 15% discount rate, increasing the scope for replicating this technology in other parts of the Eastern Ghat region. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.