LAND RESOURCE INVENTORY AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS OF FARM HOUSEHOLDS FOR WATERSHED PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT TALAK-1 (4D5B2K1c) MICROWATERSHED Yadgir Taluk and District, Karnataka

Abstract

The land resource inventory of Talak-1 Microwatershed was conducted using village cadastral maps and IRS satellite imagery on 1:7920 scale. The false colour composites of IRS imagery were interpreted for physiography and the physiographic delineations were used as base for mapping soils. The soils were studied in several transects and a soil map was prepared with phases of soil series as mapping units. Random checks were made all over the area outside the transects to confirm and validate the soil map unit boundaries. The soil map shows the geographic distribution and extent, characteristics, classification, behavior and use potentials of the soils in the microwatershed. The present study covers an area of 446 ha in Yadgir taluk & district, Karnataka. The climate is semiarid and categorized as drought-prone with an average annual rainfall of 866 mm, of which about 652 mm is received during south-west monsoon, 138 mm during north-east and the remaining 76 mm during the rest of the year. An area of 438 ha in the microwatershed is covered by soils and 8 ha by others (habitation and water body). The salient findings from the land resource inventory are summarized briefly below.  The soils belong to 12 soil series and 18 soil phases (management units) and 8 land management units.  The length of crop growing period is about 120-150 days starting from 1st week of June to 4th week of October.  From the master soil map, several interpretative and thematic maps like land capability, soil depth, surface soil texture, soil gravelliness, available water capacity, soil slope and soil erosion were generated.  Soil fertility status maps for macro and micronutrients were generated based on the surface soil samples collected at every 320 m grid interval.  Land suitability for growing 29 major agricultural and horticultural crops was assessed and maps showing the degree of suitability along with constraints were generated.  About 438 ha area in the microwatershed is suitable for agriculture.  About <1 per cent of area is very shallow (<25 cm), 20 per cent of area is shallow (25-50 cm), 31 per cent of area of the microwatershed has soils that are moderately shallow (50-75 cm), 17 per cent of area of the microwatershed has soils that are moderately deep (75-100 cm), 4 per cent of area is deep (100 - 150 cm) and 27 per cent of area is very deep (>150 cm).  About 1 per cent area in the microwatershed has sandy soils, 53 per cent loamy soils and 44 per cent clayey soils at the surface.  About 69 per cent area in the microwatershed is non gravelly (<15%) and 29 per cent is gravelly (15-35%).  About 30 per cent area of the microwatershed is very high (>200 mm/m) in available water capacity, 10 per cent is medium (101-150mm/m) 14 per cent is low (51-100 mm/m) and 44 per cent area is very low (<50 mm/m).  Entire area in the microwatershed is under very gently sloping (1-3% slope) lands.  Maximum area of about 95 per cent is moderately (e2) eroded and 4 per cent area is slightly eroded (e1) soils.  Entire area of the microwatershed is neutral (pH 6.5-7.3) in soil reaction.  The Electrical Conductivity (EC) of entire soils of the microwatershed is <2 dsm- 1indicating that the soils are non-saline.  About 60 per cent area is medium (0.5-0.75%) and 38 per cent is low (<0.5%) in organic carbon content of the soil.  About 79 per cent of area is medium (23-57 kg/ha) in available phosphorus content of the soil, 5 per cent of area is low (<23 kg/ha) and 14 per cent of area is high (>57 kg/ha) in the microwatershed.  Available potassium content is medium (145-337 kg/ha) in the entire area of the microwatershed.  Available sulphur is low (<10 ppm) in an area of about 44 per cent, medium (10 -20 ppm) in 54 per cent of area and high (>20 ppm) in <1 per cent of area in the microwatershed.  Available boron is low (<0.5 ppm) in an area of 93 per cent and medium (0.5-0.1 ppm) in an area of 6 per cent in the microwatershed.  Available iron is sufficient (>4.5 ppm) in the entire area of the microwatershed.  Available manganese and copper are sufficient in all the soils of the microwatershed.  Available zinc is deficient (<0.6 ppm) in an area of 70 per cent and sufficient (>0.6 ppm) in an area of 29 per cent of the microwatershed.  The land suitability for 29 major crops grown in the microwatershed were assessed and the areas that are highly suitable (S1) and moderately suitable (S2) are given below. It is however to be noted that a given soil may be suitable for various crops but what specific crop to be grown may be decided by the farmer looking to his capacity to invest on various inputs, marketing infrastructure, market price and finally the demand and supply position. Land suitability for various crops in the Microwatershed Crop Suitability Area in ha (%) Crop Suitability Area in ha (%) Highly suitable (S1) Moderately suitable (S2) Highly suitable (S1) Moderately suitable (S2) Sorghum - 211 (48) Guava - 32 (7) Maize - 211 (48) Sapota - 32 (7) Bajra - 211 (48) Pomegranate - 119 (27) Groundnut - - Musambi - 119 (27) Sunflower - 119 (27) Lime - 119 (27) Redgram - 148 (33) Amla - 96 (22) Bengal gram - 87 (20) Cashew - - Cotton - 124 (28) Jackfruit - 32 (7) Chilli - 150 (33) Jamun - - Tomato - 63 (14) Custard apple - 183 (41) Brinjal - 63 (14) Tamarind - - Onion - 63 (14) Mulberry - 32 (7) Bhendi - 150 (33) Marigold - 150 (33) Drumstick - 32 (7) Chrysanthemum - 150 (33) Mango - -  Apart from the individual crop suitability, a proposed crop plan has been prepared for the identified LMUs by considering only the highly and moderately suitable lands for different crops and cropping systems with food, fodder, fibre and other horticulture crops.  Maintaining soil-health is vital for crop production and conserve soil and land resource base for maintaining ecological balance and to mitigate climate change. For this, several ameliorative measures have been suggested for these problematic soils like saline/alkali, highly eroded, sandy soils etc.,  Soil and water conservation treatment plan has been prepared that would help in identifying the sites to be treated and also the type of structures required.  As part of the greening programme, several tree species have been suggested to be planted in marginal and submarginal lands, field bunds and also in the hillocks, mounds and ridges. This would help in not only supplementing the farm income but also provide fodder and fuel and generate lot of biomass which would help in maintaining an ecological balance and also contribute to mitigating the climate change. SALIENT FINDINGS OF THE SURVEY  The data indicated that there were 81 (57.45%) men and 60 (42.55%) women among the sampled households.  The average family size of landless farmers’ was 3.3, marginal farmers’ was 3.7, small farmers’ was 4.6, semi medium farmers’ was 3.8 and medium farmers’ was 4.3.  The data indicated that, 44 (23.28%) people were in 0-15 years of age, 82 (43.39%) were in 16-35 years of age, 51 (26.98%) were in 36-60 years of age and 12 (6.35%) were above 61 years of age.  The results indicated that Talak-1 had 51.85 per cent illiterates, 1956 per cent of them had primary school, 2.12 per cent of them had middle school, 16.4 per cent of them had high school education, 3.17 per cent of them had PUC, 1.59 per cent of them had degree and 0.53 per cent of them had master’s education.  The results indicate that, 40 per cent of household heads were practicing agriculture, 60 per cent of the household heads were agricultural laborers and 2.86 per cent of the household’s heads were private services.  The results indicate that agriculture was the major occupation for 32.28 per cent of the household members, 37.57 per cent were agricultural labourers, 2.12 per cent were in private service, 21.69 per cent were student, 1.59 per cent were housewives and 4.76 per cent were children.  The results show that, 100 per cent of the population in the micro watershed has not participated in any local institutions.  The results indicate that 31.43 per cent of the households possess thatched, 57.14 per cent of the households possess katcha house and 11.43 per cent of the households possess pucca/RCC house.  The results show that 80 per cent of the households possess TV, 51.43 per cent of the households possess mixer/grinder, 2.86 per cent of the households possess refrigerator, 5.71 per cent of the households possess bicycle and auto, 31.43 per cent of the households possess motor cycle and 91.43 per cent of the households possess mobile phones.  The results show that the average value of television was Rs. 8,821, mixer/grinder was Rs. 1,844, refrigerator was Rs. 16,000, bicycle was Rs. 2,000, motor cycle was Rs. 50,909, auto was Rs. 200,000 and mobile phone was Rs. 2,753.  About 14.29 per cent each of the households possess bullock cart, 34.29 per cent of the households possess plough, 2.86 per cent of the households possess tractor and harvester, 5.71 per cent of the households possess sprayer, sprinkler and thresher and 80 per cent of the households possess weeder.  The results show that the average value of bullock cart was Rs. 33,000, plough was Rs. 2,625, tractor was Rs. 400,000, sprayer was Rs. 1,250, Sprinkler was Rs. 458, weeder was Rs. 56 and the average value of harvester and thresher was Rs. 180. 2  The results indicate that, 42.86 per cent of the households possess bullocks, 14.29 per cent of the households possess local cow, 2.86 per cent of the households possess crossbreed and sheep, 5.71 per cent of the households possess Buffalo.  The results indicate that, average own labour men available in the micro watershed was 23, average own labour (women) available was 1.56, average hired labour (men) available was 13.47 and average hired labour (women) available was 12.28.  The results indicate that, 91.43 per cent of the households opined that the hired labour was adequate.  The results indicate that, households of the Talak-1 micro-watershed possess 407 ha (65.28 %) of dry land, 15.65 ha (25.49 %) of irrigated land and 5.67 ha (9.23%) of permanent fallow land. Marginal farmers possess 56 ha (100 %) of dry land. Small farmers possess 5.40 ha (85.57%) of dry land and 0.91 ha (14.43%) of irrigated land. Semi medium farmers possess 155 ha (74.60%) of dry land and 5.12 ha (25.40%) of irrigated land. Medium farmers possess 14.57 ha (48.81%) of dry land, 9.62 ha (32.21%) of irrigated land and 5.67 ha (18.98%) of permanent fallow land.  The results indicate that, the average value of dry land was Rs. 296,8392 and the average value of irrigated land was Rs. 325,756.40 and the average value of permanent fallow land was Rs. 176,428.57. In case of marginal famers, the average land value was Rs. 711,359.99 for dry land. In case of small famers, the average land value was Rs. 407,346.33 for dry land and the average land value was Rs. 768,444.44 for irrigated land. In case of semi medium famers, the average land value was Rs. 232,517.48 for dry land and the average land value was Rs. 409,715.64 for irrigated land. In case of medium farmers, the average land value was Rs. 144,083.33 for dry land, the average value of irrigated land was Rs. 239,099.32 and the average value of irrigated land was Rs. 176,428.57 for permanent fallow land.  The results indicate that, there were 8 functioning bore wells in the micro watershed.  The results indicate that, bore well was the major irrigation source in the micro water shed for 22.86 per cent of the farmers.  The results indicate that, the depth of bore well was found to be 24.47 meters.  The results indicate that small, semi medium and medium farmers had an irrigated area of 0.91 ha, 5.13 ha and 9.82 ha respectively.  The results indicate that, farmers have grown cotton (19.43 ha), groundnut (7.35 ha), maize (2.02 ha), paddy (0.91 ha) and red gram (22.66 ha). Marginal farmers have grown cotton and red gram. Small farmers have grown cotton, paddy and red gram. Semi medium farmers have grown cotton, groundnut, maize and red gram. Medium farmers have grown cotton and red gram. Large farmers have grown groundnut.  The results indicate that, the cropping intensity in Talak-1 micro-watershed was found to be 94.5 per cent.  The results indicate that, 2.86 per cent of the households have bank account and savings. 3  The results indicate that, 2.86 per cent of the households have availed credit from different sources.  The results indicate that, the total cost of cultivation for Cotton was Rs. 28177.30. The gross income realized by the farmers was Rs. 73825.30. The net income from Cotton cultivation was Rs. 45648. Thus the benefit cost ratio was found to be 1:2.62.  The total cost of cultivation for groundnut was Rs. 64396.90. The gross income realized by the farmers was Rs. 77006.73. The net income from groundnut cultivation was Rs. 12609.82. Thus the benefit cost ratio was found to be 1:1.2.  The total cost of cultivation for Red gram was Rs. 50087.80. The gross income realized by the farmers was Rs. 66199.97. The net income from Red gram cultivation was Rs. 16112.18. Thus the benefit cost ratio was found to be 1:1.32.  The total cost of cultivation for paddy was Rs. 59040.85. The gross income realized by the farmers was Rs. 62792.89. The net income from paddy cultivation was Rs. 37524. Thus the benefit cost ratio was found to be 1:16.  The total cost of cultivation for Maize was Rs. 20383.86. The gross income realized by the farmers was Rs. 25688. The net income from Maize cultivation was Rs. 5304.14. Thus the benefit cost ratio was found to be 1:1.26.  The results indicate that, 14.29 per cent of the households opined that dry fodder was adequate and 8.57 per cent of the households opined that green fodder was adequate.  The results indicate that the annual gross income was Rs. 46,600 for landless farmers, for marginal farmers it was Rs. 93,571.43, for small farmers it was Rs. 99,200, semi medium farmers it was Rs. 153,060, medium farmers it was Rs. 200,714.29 and large farmers it was Rs. 70,000. The results indicate that the average annual expenditure is Rs. 16,897.21. For landless households it was Rs. 25,150, for marginal farmers it was Rs. 9,040.82, for small farmers it was Rs. 12,280, for semi medium farmers it was Rs. 10,650, medium farmers it was Rs. 28,066.67 and large farmers it was Rs. 38,000.  The results indicate that, households have planted 4 mango trees in their field.  The results indicate that, households have planted 2 eucalyptus, 73 neem, 3 tamarind and 1 banyan trees in their field and also 9 neem tree in their backyard.  The results indicated that, households have an average investment capacity of Rs. 7,428.57 for land development; households have an average investment capacity of Rs. 371.43 for irrigation facility, households have an average investment capacity of Rs. 3,514.29 for improved crop production and households have an average investment capacity of Rs. 742.86 for improved livestock management.  The results indicated that loan from bank was the source of additional investment for 45.71 per cent for land development, 5.71 per cent for irrigation facility, 40 per cent for improved crop production and 14.29 per cent for improved livestock management. 4  The results indicated that, cotton was sold to the extent of 101.87 per cent, groundnut was sold to the extent of 93.52 per cent, maize was sold to the extent of 95 per cent, paddy was sold to the extent of 90.91 per cent, Red gram was sold to the extent of 90.87 per cent.  The results indicated that, about 88.57 per cent of the farmers sold their produce to local/village merchant and 2.86 per cent of the farmers sold their produce to regulated markets. The results indicated that, 2.86 per cent of the households have used and 88.57 per cent of the households have used tractor as a mode of transportation.  The results indicated that, 74.29 per cent of the households have experienced soil and water erosion problems in the farm.  The results indicated that, 82.86 per cent have shown interest in soil test.  The results indicated that, 97.14 per cent of the households used firewood and 8.57 per cent of the households used dung cake as a source of fuel.  The results indicated that, piped supply was the major source of drinking water for 82.86 per cent of the households in the micro watershed and bore well was the source of drinking water for 14.29 per cent of the households in the micro watershed.  Electricity was the major source of light for 100 per cent of the households in micro watershed.  The results indicated that, 68.57 per cent of the households possess sanitary toilet facility. The results indicated that, 100 per cent of the sampled households possessed BPL cards.  The results indicated that, 77.14 per cent of the households participated in NREGA programme.  The results indicated that, cereals and egg were adequate for 100 per cent of the households, pulses were adequate for 94.29 per cent, vegetables were adequate for 88.57 per cent, fruits were adequate for 14.29 per cent, milk and meat were adequate for 97.14 per cent.  The results indicated that, pulses were inadequate for 2.86 per cent of the households, oilseed was inadequate for 94.29 per cent, vegetables were inadequate for 11.43 per cent, fruits were inadequate for 85.71 per cent and milk was inadequate for 2.86 per cent.  The results indicated that, lower fertility status of the soil and wild animal menace on farm field was the constraint experienced by 77.14 per cent of the households, (57.14%), frequent incidence of pest and diseases (68.57%), Inadequacy of irrigation water, high rate of interest on credit and lack of marketing facilities in the area (5.71%), high cost of fertilizer and plant protection chemicals (82.86%), low price for the agricultural commodities (8.57%), inadequate extension service, Lack of transport for safe transport of the Agril produce to the market, less rainfall and Source of Agri-technology information