LAND RESOURCE INVENTORY AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS OF FARM HOUSEHOLDS FOR WATERSHED PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT BACHANAHALLI-1 (4B3E2E1e) MICROWATERSHED Gundlupet Taluk, Chamarajanagara District, Karnataka

Abstract

The land resource inventory of Bachanahalli-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 and use potentials of the soils in the microwatershed. The present study covers an area of 567 ha in Gundlupet taluk of Chamarajanagar district, Karnataka. The climate is semiarid and categorized as drought prone with an average annual rainfall of 734 mm of which about 254 mm is received during south–west monsoon, 268 mm during north-east and the remaining 212 mm during the rest of the year. An area of about 66 per cent is covered by soils, 31 per cent by forest and 2 per cent by others. The salient findings from the land resource inventory are summarized briefly below.  The soils belong to 8 soil series and 20 soil phases (management units) and 7 land management units.  The length of crop growing period is about 150 days starting from the 3rd week of June to 3rd week of November.  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 major agricultural and horticultural crops were assessed and maps showing the degree of suitability along with constraints were generated.  About 66 per cent area is suitable for agriculture.  About 10 per cent soils are shallow (25-50 cm), 2 per cent of soils are moderately shallow (50-75 cm), 22 per cent of the soils are moderately deep (75-100 cm) and 33 per cent soils are deep (100-150 cm) to very deep (>150 cm).  About 17 per cent of the area has clayey soils at the surface and 49 per cent area has loamy soils.  About 35 per cent of the area has non-gravelly soils and 31 per cent gravelly soils (15-35 % gravel) soils.  About 13 per cent has soils that are very low (<50 mm/m), 20 per cent has low (51- 100 mm/m) in available water capacity and an area of 33 per cent has very high (>200 mm/m) available water capacity.  About 50 per cent of the area has very gently sloping (1-3% slope) lands and 16 per cent is under gently sloping (3-5%) lands.  An area of about 37 per cent has soils that are slightly eroded (e1) and 29 per cent soils are moderately eroded (e2).  An area of about 35 per cent has soils that are moderately acidic (pH 5.5-6.0) to slightly acidic (pH 6.0-6.5); 22 per cent area has neutral (pH 6.5-7.3) and an area of about 9 per cent has soils that are slightly alkaline (pH 7.3 to 7.8) to moderately alkaline (pH 7.8 to 8.4).  The Electrical Conductivity (EC) of the soils are dominantly <2 dSm-1indicating 65 per cent soils are non-saline and 2 per cent are low (2-4 dSm-1).  About 10 per cent of the soils are low (<0.5%), 50 per cent of the soils are medium (0.5-0.75%) and 6 per cent of the soils are high (>0.75%) in organic carbon.  Entire area of the microwatershed about 66 per cent of the soils are medium (23-57 kg/ha) in available phosphorus.  About 7 per cent of the soils are medium (145-337 kg/ha) and 60 per cent are high (>337 kg/ha) in available potassium.  Available sulphur is low (<10 ppm) in entire area of about 66 per cent.  Available boron is low (<0.5 ppm) in entire area of about 17 per cent.  Available iron is sufficient (>4.5 ppm) in entire area of about 66 per cent.  Available manganese and copper are sufficient in all the soils of the microwatershed.  Available zinc is deficient (<0.6 ppm) in 61 per cent and sufficient (>0.6 ppm) in about 5 per cent area.  The land suitability for 27 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, 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 247 (44) 41 (7) Sapota 66 (12) 122 (22) Maize 158 (28) 10 (2) Guava 67 (12) 122 (22) Red gram 158 (28) 120 (21) Banana 66 (12) 211 (37) Horse gram 158 (28) 10 (2) Jackfruit 66 (12) 1 (<1) Field bean 66 (12) 221 (39) Jamun 186 (33) 1 (<1) Groundnut 90 (16) 77 (14) Musambi 186 (33) 1 (<1) Sunflower 36 (6) 242 (43) Lime 186 (33) 1 (<1) Cotton 155 (27) 101 (18) Cashew 66 (12) 123 (22) Onion 66 (12) 221 (30) Custard apple 187 (33) 132 (23) Potato 66 (12) 101 (18) Amla 187 (33) 132 (23) Beans 66 (12) 221 (39) Tamarind 186 (33) 1 (<1) Beetroot 66 (12) 101 (18) Marigold 158 (28) 130 (23) Turmeric 66 (12) 101 (18) Chrysanthemum 66 (12) 221 (39) Mango 66 (12) 1 (<1) Apart from the individual crop suitability, a proposed crop plan has been prepared for the 7 identified LMUs by considering only the highly and moderately suitable lands for different crops and cropping systems with food, fibre and horticulture crops.  Maintaining soil-health is vital to 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 to 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 and also in the hillocks, mounds and ridges.Baseline socioeconomic characterisation is prerequisite to prepare action plan for program implementation and to assess the project performance before making any changes in the watershed development program. The baseline provides appropriate policy direction for enhancing productivity and sustainability in agriculture. Methodology: Bachanahalli-1 micro-watershed (Gopalapur sub-watershed, Gundlupet taluk, Chamarajanagar district) is located in between 11044’ – 11046’ North latitudes and 76031’ – 76034’ East longitudes, covering an area of about 567 ha, bounded by Maddur, Berambadi villages and Berambadi State Forest with length of growing period (LGP) 120-150 days. We used soil resource map as basis for sampling farm households to test the hypothesis that soil quality influence crop selection, and conservation investment of farm households. The level of technology adoption and productivity gaps and livelihood patterns were analyses. The cost of soil degradation and ecosystem services were quantified. Results: The socio-economic outputs for the Bachanahalli-1 micro-watershed (Gopalapur sub-watershed, Gundlupet taluk, Chamarajanagar district) are presented here. Social Indicators;  Male and female ratio is 53.4 to 46.5 per cent to the total sample population.  Younger age 18 to 50 years group of population is 53.5 around per cent to the total population.  Literacy population is around 65.2 per cent.  Social groups belong to scheduled caste (SC) around 20 per cent.  Liquefied petroleum gas (LGP) is the source of energy for a cooking among 90.0 per cent.  About 80.0 per cent of households have a yashaswini health card.  Farm households are having MGNREGA card only 20 per cent for rural employment.  Dependence on ration cards for food grains through public distribution system among all sample households.  Swach bharath program providing closed toilet facilities around 70 per cent of sample households.  Institutional participation is only 16.2 per cent of sample households.  Rural migration to unban centre for employment is prevalent among 0.5 per cent of farm households.  Women participation in decisions making are around 33.3 per cent of households. 2 Economic Indicators;  The average land holding is 1.58 ha indicates that majority of farm households are belong to small and medium farmers. The dry land of 87.0 per cent and irrigated land 12.9 per cent of total cultivated land area among the sample farmers.  Agriculture is the main occupation among 9.3 per cent and agriculture is the main non agriculture labour is subsidiary occupation for 83.7 per cent of sample households.  The average value of domestic assets is around Rs. 12143. per household. Mobile and television are popular media mass communication.  The average value of farm assets is around Rs. 31311 per household; Among all cent of sample farmers own plough and tractor (20 %).  The average value of livestock is around Rs. 18500 per household; about 45.4 per cent of household are having livestock.  The average per capita food consumption is around 802.12 grams (2019.3 kilo calories) against national institute of nutrition (NIN) recommendation at 827 gram. Around 60 per cent of sample households are consuming less than the NIN recommendation.  The annual average income is around Rs. 50208 per household. About 70.0 per cent of farm households are below poverty line.  The per capita monthly average expenditure is around Rs.1392. Environmental Indicators-Ecosystem Services;  The value of ecosystem service helps to support investment to decision on soil and water conservation and in promoting sustainable land use.  The onsite cost of different soil nutrients lost due to soil erosion is around Rs.765 per ha/year. The total cost of annual soil nutrients is around Rs.287031 per year for the total area of 567 ha.  The average value of ecosystem service for food grain production is around Rs 38998/ ha/year. Per hectare food grain production services is maximum in turmeric (Rs.290477) followed by garlic (Rs. 95513), cotton (Rs. 26050), maize (Rs. 20493), bengal gram (Rs. 9922), onion (Rs. 7611), marigold (Rs. 3975), groundnut (Rs. 2855), sunflower (Rs. 2659) and sorghum of negative net returns.  The average value of ecosystem service for fodder production is around Rs. 1539/ ha/year. Per hectare fodder production services is maximum in groundnut (Rs. 2413) followed by ragi (Rs. 1900), sorghum (Rs. 1482), maize (Rs. 1240), horse gram (Rs. 659).  The data on water requirement for producing one quintal of grain is considered for estimating the total value of water required for crop production. The per 3 hectare value of water used and value of water was maximum in turmeric (Rs. 69577) followed by cotton (Rs. 57375), bengal gram (Rs. 50667), sorghum (Rs. 45171), maize (Rs. 36553), onion (Rs. 26874), garlic (Rs. 21822), groundnut (Rs. 19176) and ragi (Rs. 13931). Economic Land Evaluation;  The major cropping pattern is areca nut (31.1 %) followed by cotton (17.3 %), maize (15.9 %), horse gram (9.8 %), marigold (9.0 %), groundnut (5.9 %), onion (2.8 %), garlic (2.8 %), sorghum (2.8 %) and turmeric (2.8 %).  In Bachanahalli 1 micro-watershed, major soil are soil of alluvial landscape of Hundipura (HDH) series is having shallow soil depth cover around 4.78 ha (0.84 %) of area. On this soil farmers are presently growing cotton (57.4 %), maize (21.3 %), and turmeric (21.3). Annurkeri (ARK) is also having shallow soil depth cover 35.71 per cent of area, the crops are horse gram (50 %) and marigold (50 %). Honnegoudanahalli (HGH) soil series having deep soil depth cover around 30.57 % of areas, crops are Ragi. Beramabadi (BMB) soil series having shallow soil depth cover around 51.41 ha (9.08 %) of area, crops are groundnut and Gopalapura (GPR) soil series are having moderately deep soil depth cover around 122.1 ha (21.5 %) of area. The major crops grown are cotton (21.7 %), sunflower (16.2 %), bengal gram (6.1 %), garlic (6 %), onion (6.0%), marigold (6.1) and maize (3.9).  The total cost of cultivation and benefit cost ratio (BCR) in study area for coconut ranges between Rs.62778/ha in GPR soil (with BCR of 1.22) and Rs.26977/ha in HDR soil (with BCR of 2.94).  In maize the cost of cultivation range between Rs 51457/ha in HDR soil (with of 2.14) and Rs.20555/ha in GPR soil (with BCR of 1.41).  In marigold the cost of cultivation range between Rs. 65497/ha in GPR soil (with BCR of 1.04) and Rs. 35720/ha in ARK soil (with BCR of 1.18).  In turmeric the cost of cultivation is Rs.129423ha in HDR soil (with BCR of 3.24).  In bengal gram the cost of cultivation is Rs 32631/ha in GPR soil (with BCR of 1.3).  In garlic the cost cultivation is Rs. 200887/ha in GPR soil (with BCR of 1.48).  In sorghum the cost cultivation is Rs. 41512/ha in GPR soil (with BCR of 1.04).  In sunflower the cost of cultivation is Rs. 24235/ha in GPR soil (with BCR of 1.11).  In horse gram the cost cultivation is Rs. 11981/ ha ARK soil (with BCR of 1.18).  In groundnut the cost cultivation is Rs. 26785/ha in BMB soil (with BCR of 1.20) and ragi the cost cultivation is Rs. 30251/ha in HGH in soil (with BCR of 1.19). 4  The land management practices reported by the farmers are crop rotation, tillage practices, fertilizer application and use of farm yard manure (FYM). Due to higher wages farmer are following labour saving strategies is not prating soil and water conservation measures. Less ownership of livestock limiting application of FYM.  It was observed soil quality influences on the type and intensity of land use. More fertilizer applications on deeper soil to maximize returns. Suggestions;  Involving farmers is watershed planning helps in strengthing institutional participation.  The per capita food consumption and monthly income is very low. Diversifying income generation activities from crop and livestock production in order to reduce risk related to drought and market prices.  Majority of farmers reported that they are not getting timely support/extension services from the concerned development departments.  By strengthing agricultural extension for providing timely advice improved technology there is scope to increase in net income of farm households.  By adopting recommended package of practices by following the soil test fertiliser recommendation, there is scope to increase yield in coconut (9 to 21 %), maize (35 to 79 %), marigold (0 to 21.3 %), bengal gram (49.9 %), garlic ( 52.6%), groundnut (59.6 %), horse gram (32.5%), onion (59.6 %), ragi (62.6%), sorghum (47.2%) and sunflower (60.6 %).