Potential of Traditional Irrigation System for Sustainable Development of Hill Agriculture

Abstract

The study was undertaken in command area of Lower Baijnath irrigation channel (Kuhl) having a culturable command area (CCA) of 552 hectares covering 27 villages in district Kangra of Himachal Pradesh. The main objective was to study the status and potential of traditional irrigation system and to explore the possibility of increasing farm income through optimum utilization of available farm resources. Stratified two-stage random sampling design was used to select six villages and 60 sample farmers. The primary data were collected from sample farmers through personal interview method using pre-tested survey schedule. Tabular analysis was extensively used to study farmer's participation in Kuhl management operations, availability, and regularity in supply of water, etc. The goal programming model was designed for the minimization of penalties keeping in view the prospects of higher income, food security and boundaries of resource constraints. Results revealed that water rights of using Kuhl irrigation were generally inherited from one generation to another. The distribution mechanism was such that the volume of water to each village wasbeing allocated in accordance with the cultivated area. About 74 percent respondents reported that around 71 percent of the area was irrigated by fetching Kuhl water on demand. About 14 percent of the farmers reported that water was available to them occasionally and not on regular basis to irrigate 18.46 percent of the cultivated area. The goal programming model revealed that adequate irrigation may yield efficient returns only when optimized farm plans are adopted by the farmers. The study showed that optimized plans with improved technology resulted in decrease in the area under paddy-wheat to around 49–60 percent from existing 80 percent that was reallocated to more profitable cropping systems, i.e. ginger-garlic, fodder crops and a polyhouse unit leading to substantial increase in returns. With the inclusion of a crossbred cow in the plan, more area was allocated to fodder based cropping systems which led to further increase in income. The study clearly highlighted scope for doubling farmers ’income through adoption of improved technology, diversification of farming system with cultivation of profitable vegetable crops, adoption of hi-tech ventures like protected cultivation and inclusion of improved dairy animals as suggested through optimized model plans.