Impact of Land Tenure System in Watershed Development Programmes in the Meghalaya State, North-East India

Besides the analysis of technical and ecological viability, knowledge of the existing land tenure systems is an essential pre-requisite for the success of watershed projects and policy reforms required for their effective implementation. Using descriptive analysis, Lorenz curve and Gini concentration ratio (GCR), this study has explained the relationship between the existing land tenure systems and the prospects for the success of watershed projects in the Meghalaya State, North-East India. The study has revealed that the Umsiang watershed project having community ownership system of tenure produced more positive changes in the landuse pattern after the project implementation than the Maweit watershed project practising individual ownership system. The area under jhum cultivation in the Umsiang watershed decreased significantly due to transformation of jhum sloppy lands into permanent contour cultivation. The area under horticulture plantations particularly fruit crops increased by 2118 per cent; afforested and aquaculture areas also increased by 296 and 2480 per cent, respectively after the project. The area under jhum cultivation in the Maweit watershed decreased only marginally (by 2%) and the area under permanent contour cultivation was negligible after the project. The absence of ownership rights to the tenants in the Maweit watershed has resulted in little incentive for the adoption of long-term development measures. The annual average income per household increased to Rs 40,227 (36% increase) in the Umsiang watershed and to Rs 36,313 (19% increase) in the Maweit watershed after the project. The offfarm income went up by 49 per cent in the Umsiang watershed and 38 per cent in the Maweit watershed. The watershed projects under the Community ownership system of land tenure would be more successful in increasing farm income and employment opportunities. The income inequality also decreased in the Umsiang watershed after the project as shown by Lorenz curve and GCR. But the gap between the rich and the poor in the Maweit watershed increased after the project. The study has clearly indicated that land tenure system is an important factor in the implementation of watershed projects successfully. Effective land reform policy would be essential for the successful implementation of watershed development programmes.Agricultural and Food Policy,

Oestrus synchronization with fixed-time artificial insemination in smallholder pig production systems in north-east India: Success rate and benefits

Pig production is an important component of the farming systems that are practised in the north-eastern region of India and it has special significance for improving the socio-economic status of tribal farmers in the region. In an effort to optimize the production efficiency of rural pig production systems, the potential influence of oestrus synchronization and fixed-time artificial insemination (AI) on synchronizing husbandry programmes was investigated. A total of 117 crossbred sows, selected from various village production units, were randomly allocated to two (control and treatment) groups. The sows in the treatment group (n = 81) received 800 IU of equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG), followed by 500 IU of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) 72 hours after the eCG injection. The sows in the control group (n = 36) served as the untreated control. The onset of oestrus, oestrus signs, oestrus intensity, and duration of oestrus were observed after treatment. The oestrus sows were inseminated twice at 24 h and 36 h, respectively, after hCG injection at various village production units. Results revealed that 86.4% of sows in the treatment group exhibited all the behavioural and physical signs of oestrus. The average interval between treatment and onset of oestrus was 84.8 ± 2.43 hours. The mean oestrus intensity of sows in the treatment group was 2.3 (when assessed on a scale of 1 to 3), which did not differ significantly from the oestrus intensity exhibited by the control group. The duration of oestrus varied from 36 to 56 hours in the treated sows, which was significantly longer when compared with the duration of oestrus in the control group. The study obtained a farrowing rate of 82.6% and litter size of 9.2 ± 0.32 after oestrus synchronization with timed insemination. Oestrus synchronization facilitated the insemination of a batch of sows at particular locations covering two to three village clusters, which drastically reduced the transport costs for the semen. Oestrus synchronization facilitated the effective implementation of AI by coordinating the insemination of batches of sows, thus reducing shipping and insemination costs. Improving heat detection contributed to shortening the weaning to oestrous interval in smallholder pig production system, which in turn decreased production costs.______________________________________________________________________________________Keywords: Assisted reproduction, farrrowing rate, insemination cost, reproduction efficienc

Impact of Land Tenure System in Watershed Development Programmes in the Meghalaya State, North-East India

Besides the analysis of technical and ecological viability, knowledge of the existing land tenure systems is an essential pre-requisite for the success of watershed projects and policy reforms required for their effective implementation. Using descriptive analysis, Lorenz curve and Gini concentration ratio (GCR), this study has explained the relationship between the existing land tenure systems and the prospects for the success of watershed projects in the Meghalaya State, North-East India. The study has revealed that the Umsiang watershed project having community ownership system of tenure produced more positive changes in the landuse pattern after the project implementation than the Maweit watershed project practising individual ownership system. The area under jhum cultivation in the Umsiang watershed decreased significantly due to transformation of jhum sloppy lands into permanent contour cultivation. The area under horticulture plantations particularly fruit crops increased by 2118 per cent; afforested and aquaculture areas also increased by 296 and 2480 per cent, respectively after the project. The area under jhum cultivation in the Maweit watershed decreased only marginally (by 2%) and the area under permanent contour cultivation was negligible after the project. The absence of ownership rights to the tenants in the Maweit watershed has resulted in little incentive for the adoption of long-term development measures. The annual average income per household increased to Rs 40,227 (36% increase) in the Umsiang watershed and to Rs 36,313 (19% increase) in the Maweit watershed after the project. The offfarm income went up by 49 per cent in the Umsiang watershed and 38 per cent in the Maweit watershed. The watershed projects under the Community ownership system of land tenure would be more successful in increasing farm income and employment opportunities. The income inequality also decreased in the Umsiang watershed after the project as shown by Lorenz curve and GCR. But the gap between the rich and the poor in the Maweit watershed increased after the project. The study has clearly indicated that land tenure system is an important factor in the implementation of watershed projects successfully. Effective land reform policy would be essential for the successful implementation of watershed development programmes

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Multiple use water systems for the hilly areas

In Palanisami, Kuppannan; Sharda, V. N.; Singh, D. V. (Eds.). Water management in the hill regions: evidence from field studies. [Outcome of the IWMI and ICAR Workshop organized by IWMI-TATA Water Policy Research Program]. New Delhi, India: Bloomsbury Publishing Indi

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Drying, burning and emission characteristics of beehive charcoal briquettes: An alternative household fuel of Eastern Himalayan Region

Beehive charcoal briquettes were produced from powdered charcoal in which soil was added as binder. It was found to be an eco-friendly, clean and economic alternative source of household fuel for the people of Eastern Himalayan Region. Experiments were conducted to determine natural drying behaviour, normalised burn rate, temperature profile and emission of CO, CO , UBHC (unburnt hydrocarbons) and NOx of beehive briquettes prepared from 60:40; 50:50 and 40:60 ratios of charcoal and soil. It was observed that under natural drying conditions (temperature, humidity) briquettes took 433 hr to reach equilibrium moisture content of 5.56–10.29 %. Page's model was found suitable to describe the drying characteristics of all three combinations. Normalised burn rate varied between 0.377–0.706 % of initial mass min-1. Total burning time of briquette ranged between 133–143 min. The peak temperature attained by briquettes ranged from 437 ºC to 572 ºC. All the briquette combinations were found suitable for cooking and space heating. Emission of CO, CO , UBHC, NO and NO ranged between 68.4–107.2, 922–1359, 20.9–50.8, 0.19–0.29 and 0.34–0.64 g kg-1, respectively which were less than firewood

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Not AvailableSoil resources are prone to degradation in harsh hill environment. Conservation tillage and residue mulching play an important role in protecting and improving soil quality. A 4‐year study was conducted in Meghalaya, India, involving maize (Zea mays L.)–rapeseed (Brassica campestris L.) cropping system, to evaluate the impact of no till (NT) and mulching on productivity of maize–rapeseed system and to assess the effect of management on soil organic carbon (SOC) and quality. Two tillage practices, conventional tillage (CT) and NT, were compared under six mulching rates: control (no mulching); M, maize stover retention; MA5, M + ragweed (RW; Ambrosia artemisiifolia) 5 Mg ha−1; MA10, M + RW 10 Mg ha−1; MF10, M + farmyard manure 10 Mg ha−1; and MA5P5, M + RW 5 Mg ha−1 + poultry manure 5 Mg ha−1. Grain yields of maize and rapeseed under CT were similar to those under NT. Mulching had a significant effect on the productivity of maize and rapeseed. Mulching treatment MA5P5, MF10 and MA10 produced significantly (p = 0·05) higher yield of maize and rapeseed than that of other treatments. Maize and rapeseed productivity under control was the lowest. There was a marked increase in SOC concentration (8·4%), water stable aggregates (9·3%), mean weight diameter (42·6%) and soil microbial biomass carbon (66·8%) under NT, with respect to CT. Mulching treatment MA5P5 enhanced mean SOC concentration by 30·4% and mean weight diameter by 100% compared with those under control. Thus, NT and mulching are recommended measures for protecting soil and improving its quality in the studied area.Not Availabl