Resource use Efficiency of Agricultural Farms in Mid Hills of Indian North-Western Himalayas

Abstract

North-west Himalayas of India has been facing the problems of food and feed shortages and nutritional scarcity during winter months, so watershed has been considered to be an effective approach to raise agricultural productivity, conserve natural resources and reduce poverty particularly in rainfed regions. HP Mid-Himalayan Watershed Development Project - an integrated multi-sectoral watershed development project has been operative in Mid Hills of Himachal Pradesh in 10 districts of the state since October 2005. This study has been carried out in order to determine resource utilization on beneficiary farms and to analyse the problems faced by beneficiaries. The project has helped the beneficiaries for sustainable utilization of land and labour through different land development programmes, workshops, trainings and exposure visits. Demand for labour required for irrigation increased due to increase in irrigation facility through construction of village ponds, makowal structures, masonry dams, water harvesting structures and earthen run off dams on 16.66, 10.00, 6.67, 25.00 and 2.78 percent of the total number of beneficiaries. Inputs such as seed, plant protection and irrigation man-days underutilised, so recommendations from the study have been made to increase their respective marginal value productivities. In spite, of above benefits of the project, the beneficiaries have encountered some major problems viz. stray/wild animal menace (72.38 %), lack of technical knowledge of input use (63.27 %) and ineffectiveness of working of gram panchayats (60.56 %) which in case solved may lead to enhancement of efficiency levels of different resources.