Economics of rainwater harvesting and recycling for winter vegetable production in mid hills of Meghalaya

Abstract

The economic feasibility of rainwater harvesting and recycling for winter season vegetable cultivation in the mid hills of Meghalaya was analyzed. The weekly rainfall during November to mid March being less than the weekly evaporation, irrigation becomes necessary. The study revealed that rainwater could be successfully harvested and stored in pond with agrifilm lining, reducing the seepage loss by 94%. Four locally grown high-value vegetables viz. cabbage, cauliflower, pea and lettuce were cultivated during November to mid March. The harvested rainwater was used through sprinkler system to irrigate the crops. The average yield of cabbage, cauliflower, pea and lettuce was 426, 280, 44 and 120 q/ha. respectively. The overall benefit-cost ratio for the whole system for 1 ha vegetable cultivation area was 2.7 over a period of 15 years. A farm of 1 ha area totally under vegetable cultivation can recover the initial investment in two years. The benefit-cost ratio may be further enhanced by utilizing the harvested water for fish production and livestock rearing. Thus, efficient utilization and management of rainwater may help transform the subsistence agriculture into a profit earning enterprise in the region.