Impact of Shelterbelts on Net Returns from Agricultural Production in Arid Western Rajasthan

This paper has documented the impact of shelterbelt on agricultural returns by collecting primary data from 80 farmers each in shelterbelt and non-shelterbelt areas. To decompose the total change in net returns, separate production functions have been estimated for shelterbelt and non-shelterbelt farms. The study has revealed an increase of 430.8 per cent in net returns due to shelterbelt plantation, in which shelterbelt technology has contributed 399.4 per cent and increase in use of complementary inputs, 31.4 per cent. In the change of 399.4 per cent, shelterbelt has accounted for 305.6 per cent, i.e. shifting from non- shelterbelt to shelterbelt and remaining 93.8 per cent has been due to inputs used by non-shelterbelt, which might be due to improvement in soil health.Agricultural Finance,

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Not AvailableRemoval of soil particles by wind is an active landdegradation process in the Indian Thar Desert. To compute the soil loss due to wind erosion, eroded aeolian masses are mostly collected by samplers, which are available with different designs at desert areas of the world. In the Indian Thar Desert, dust catcher in the design of Bagnold sampler was generally used to collect eroded masses at different heights from the surface, but this had a few drawbacks. Keeping in mind the constraints of the existing sampler, a new wind-erosion sampler was designed, fabricated, tested and installed in the Indian Thar Desert at Jaisalmer. This erosion sampler has the ability to adjust its orifice towards the wind direction and thus is capable of collecting aeolian masses from any direction. With this sampler, eroded aeolian masses were collected and analysed during several dust-storm events and periodic wind-erosion events during June–September 2009. Computation of mass flux (ML–2 T–1) and soil loss from the collected aeolian mass data successfully captured the intensity of dust-storm/wind-erosion events and their variation within a season. Therefore, the new erosion sampler may be used as a tool to monitor and assess dust-storm events in the Indian Thar Desert.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableSoil organic carbon (SOC) is the largest among three major carbon pools of global ecosystems. During the past few years, global warming and forcible land-use changes have resulted in a huge loss of this major carbon pool and as a consequence, concentration of atmospheric CO2 has increased. To mitigate the potential risks arising from atmospheric abundance of CO2, adoption of carbon sequestration strategies at different landscape scales is a major option. For this purpose, proper estimates of SOC stock per unit area are essential. In this study, we have estimated the SOC stock of a typical agricultural farm from hot arid ecosystem of India and also its spatial variation within the farm. The surface map of the SOC stock revealed that introduction of cultivation practices in fragile lands of the desert region has resulted in huge depletion of soil carbon. For example, the SOC stock of 10- years cultivated plots was found to be almost half of the SOC stock of recently cultivated plots of the farm. The results also showed that previous reports on large-scale estimates of SOC stock for hot arid region of India do not match with the current estimate from a farm scale of the same region. Consideration of spatial variation of SOC during calculation of SOC stock has helped us prepare a surface map of SOC stock of the farm, which may further be used as an essential requirement for implementation of site-specific carbon sequestration strategies and proper carbon credit programmes in the agricultural farms of India.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableWind erosion is the most noticeable land degradation process in the hot arid region of India that covers about 16% of the geographical area of India. It results into loss of considerable amount of nutrient-rich particles from the region. Field investigations were carried out in a rangeland site located at Jaisalmer centre of Central Arid Zone Research Institute in the province of western Rajasthan to quantify the nutrient loss through wind erosion. The aeolian mass fluxes (M L-2 T-1) were collected at four different heights: 0.25 m, 0.50 m, 0.75 m, and 2 m above land surface. Analysis of eroded soil was performed using Foss Heraeus CHN-O-rapid elemental analyzer. The results have revealed an average loss of 4 g C kg-1 and 0.37 g N kg-1. Present study shows that the C and N content in eroded soils were highest during the month of July and the accumulated annual loss was approximated as 45.9 kg C ha-1 and 4.3 kg N ha-1. To mitigate such appreciable soil nutrient losses through wind erosion, suitable rangeland utilization practices, which can help to retain the soil health and would also support the crop/grassland productivity in arid ecosystem, need to be evolved on priority.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableWind erosion is the most noticeable land degradation process in the hot arid region of India that covers about 16% of the geographical area of India. It results into loss of considerable amount of nutrient-rich particles from the region. Field investigations were carried out in a rangeland site located at Jaisalmer centre of Central Arid Zone Research Institute in the province of western Rajasthan to quantify the nutrient loss through wind erosion. The aeolian mass fluxes (M L-2 T-1) were collected at four different heights: 0.25 m, 0.50 m, 0.75 m, and 2 m above land surface. Analysis of eroded soil was performed using Foss Heraeus CHN-O-rapid elemental analyzer. The results have revealed an average loss of 4 g C kg-1 and 0.37 g N kg-1. Present study shows that the C and N content in eroded soils were highest during the month of July and the accumulated annual loss was approximated as 45.9 kg C ha-1 and 4.3 kg N ha-1. To mitigate such appreciable soil nutrient losses through wind erosion, suitable rangeland utilization practices, which can help to retain the soil health and would also support the crop/grassland productivity in arid ecosystem, need to be evolved on priority.Not Availabl

Impact of Shelterbelts on Net Returns from Agricultural Production in Arid Western Rajasthan

This paper has documented the impact of shelterbelt on agricultural returns by collecting primary data from 80 farmers each in shelterbelt and non-shelterbelt areas. To decompose the total change in net returns, separate production functions have been estimated for shelterbelt and non-shelterbelt farms. The study has revealed an increase of 430.8 per cent in net returns due to shelterbelt plantation, in which shelterbelt technology has contributed 399.4 per cent and increase in use of complementary inputs, 31.4 per cent. In the change of 399.4 per cent, shelterbelt has accounted for 305.6 per cent, i.e. shifting from non- shelterbelt to shelterbelt and remaining 93.8 per cent has been due to inputs used by non-shelterbelt, which might be due to improvement in soil health

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Not AvailableSince ages, the traditional grazing grounds have been lifeline of the pastoral economy in arid region of Rajasthan. Owing to many fold increase in the human and livestock populations, these grazing grounds have been subjected to excessive pressure of grazing and utilization. As a results the area under traditional grazing resources – gochar, oran, beers, jorh, adaw, bhelwars or choili, etc. have declined otherwise it used to maintain equilibrium of nutrients in the soil for traditional cropping systems. Due to over-grazing, most of such grazing resources are in degraded form with poor productivity. The traditional management practices of grazing resources by the community at village level with the system of kar and/or go-had (grazing boundaries) have also disappeared. The continuous decrease in grazing resources and increase in livestock population coupled with changing cropping patterns lead to conflicts between pastoral v/s herders and herders v/s farmers. The alarming situation warrants to look in to the opportunities- protection, reseeding, scientific grazing management which allows resting period to grasslands/pasture, integrating silvi-pasture systems etc., and the issues- free grazing, herd size linked with equity on community grazing land, pastoral migration, etc. for conservation and rehabilitation of pastures and other grazing resources in arid region. Sensitization of people and capacity building at village level to ensure peoples participation, development of grazing calendar, establishment of fodder banks and formulation of a grazing policy like revenue policies both at State and National level would augment not only forage productivity of these shrinking grazing resources and enthuse their better management on sustainable basis but would also lead to better management of grazing resources with community participation.Not Availabl