Assessment of the Consequences of Changing Cropping Pattern on Land and Water Productivity: A case study of Haryana State, India

Abstract

Management and improvement of land and water resources are indispensable for increasing agricultural productivity because of emerging problems such as declining groundwater table, and depletion of soil quality. Policy makers need an understanding of the emerging trend in land and water productivity in an area for proper planning. Scanning of literature revealed the lack of data in this regard. Hence, this study aimed to analyze the temporal trend in cropping pattern and its impact on the land and water productivity in Haryana state of India during 1967–2016. Area, production and yield data of the main crops of both kharif (monsoon) and rabi (winter) seasons were collected from the Department of Agriculture of Haryana. Land productivity, water productivity, aggregate land and aggregate water productivity were computed for the study area. The findings showed a rise in land and water productivity (in physical terms) of all crops in last 49 years, but the growth rate has gone down. Major decline was found in rice and wheat productivity. Aggregate land and water productivity (in monetary terms) has shown a positive trend, suggesting that the farmers are receiving more returns from per unit of land and water. However, from agronomic perspective, the emerging cropping pattern is not sustainable in the long run, especially rice crop. Thus, an increase in water productivity is required, as water is becoming a scarce resource in the area. The study would be helpful for managing the land and water resources for a sustainable cropping system.