Optimal Cropped Area and Cropping Pattern with Conjunctive Use of Surface and Groundwater for Kendrapara District of Odisha

Abstract

A major chunk (60%) of India’s agricultural GDP is derived from rainfed agriculture. It is essential to the growth of India’s economy and agricultural sector. Over 70% of farmers in the coastal state of Odisha’s Kendrapara district depend on agriculture and related industries. The goal of the current study was to gain a better knowledge of a challenging water supply issue in a typical humid region with alternating years of drought and flooding, which is more common in Odisha’s Kendrapara District. The Kendrapara district of Odisha is where the study was carried out. The ideal cultivated area for various crops has been estimated for several blocks in the Kendrapara district taking into account the availability of water from surface and groundwater sources using a linear programming optimization model. According to surface water availability and rainfall analysis, assured rainfall at a likelihood level of 75% is deemed ideal for agricultural crop planning. The ideal area allocation for kharif irrigation of rice was found to be between 23.9 and 51.2% to provide the highest net return. In different blocks of the Kendrapara district, the ideal area (28.5% - 81.7%) for rabi oilseeds could be set aside during the rainy season. Due to their higher net returns in the summer, pulse and oilseed crops may be heavily planted.