Prof. (Dr.) R.D. Gupta
The Kandi belt of Jammu and Karewas of Kashmir are characterized by low rainfall i.e; less than 950 mm and 750 mm, respectively, undulating topography, low to medium soil organic matter content with light coarse textured soils and frequent occurrence of droughts. Not only this, low and uncertain rainfall varying in time and space accompanied with droughts owing to change in climate cause low agricultural productivity. The growing of crops by the farmers especially of Kandi areas is not only risky but also pays very less and sometimes even the investments of inputs can not met with. This, therefore necessitates to follow up new strategies for the rainfed agroecosystem for the Kandi and Karewas dwellers.
Strategies
Agroforestry: In the light of an acute shortage of water in Kandi belt of Jammu and Karewas of Kashmir, adoption of agroforestry land use system will play a significant role not only in conserving water but also assist in conserving soil. As “agroforestry is a collective name for land use systems and technologies in which woody perennials including trees, shrubs, bamboos etc; are combined on the same land management unit with agricultural, horticultural and herbaceous crops, and animals either in some form of spatial arrangement or temporal sequence, so it will meet all requirements of farmers viz; food, fodder, firewood, fruit and fertilizers.” Planting of fodder trees like Grewia optiva, Albizzia spp; Morus alba,Bauhinia variegata should be planted in the Kandi belt of Jammu. Since some tracts of Karewas are unsuitable for growing of crops (maize, rice, barley, wheat) such areas should be covered with grasses and shrubs. This will support the livestock and cattle development.
Promotion of Horticulture: In the Kandi belt of Jammu, indigenous fruit plants like amla (Phyllanthus emblica), lassora (Cardia dichotoma), ber (Zizyphus mauritiana), jamun (Syzygium cumini), phalsa (Grewia asiatica) can be grown along with mango and citrus. As many Karewa areas are suitable for growing of saffron and fruit trees like apple, almond and walnut so these should be grown wherever it is possible.
Promotion of Floriculture: Floriculture has a lot of potential to ameliorate the recent cropping pattern, especially of rainfed agroecosystem. It is attributed to low total water requirement of a number of drought tolerant flower plants, compared to cereals. Moreover, ornamental plants can be successfully established in dryland conditions using improved technologies (Dogra et al. 2010). Cultivation of flowers like marigold has a lot of potential not only to grow in plains of Jammu but also in its Kandi belt. There is also a lot of scope to grow gladiolus and other flowers like cosmos, mossrose, jasmine, bougainvillea, and petunia etc. Farmers of the Siwalik hills of Jammu can raise gladiolus during March-April.
Asia’s largest tulip garden in Kashmir was started as an ornamental profession during 2008 with an aim of advancing the tourist season. But later on the Kashmir tulip was introduced as cut flower on a commercial scale in Kashmir valley. As the experts are of the opinions that Kashmir has the best climate, and soil for tulip cultivation. Hence, drought tolerant flower plants besides cultivation of tulip are required to be exploited in Karewa areas also.
Shifting from chemicalised farming to Organic farming: Chemicalsed agriculture has not only polluted atmospheric air, water and soil but has also posed health hazards both to animals including humans, plants as well as macro and microorganisms. Thus, to maintain balance and harmony with the nature, shifting from chemicalised farming to organic farming is the right way to tackle aforesaid environmental problems.
Organic farming is an important kind of an ecofriendly system of food production vis-à-vis agroecosystem management. This system of farming is based upon an adaptive organic strategies to mitigate chemicalised food production which has caused physiological disorders like respiratory ailments, loss of immunity, blindness, dumbness and skin diseases etc, in humans. The first and the foremost objective of organic farming is to ensure food safety and security. In India, states like Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Sikkim have provisionally declared that they are committed towards conversion of existing farming practices into organic techniques. For the last 10 years, many farmers of these states have adopted organic farming and improved the yields not only of crops but also of vegetables and fruits. Organic techniques here refer to use of organic manures (farm yard manure, compost, vermicompost, green manures) and botanical pesticides i.e. neem based (neem seed kernel extract, neem leaf extract, neem oil spray, neem cake suspension)and others.
Watershed Management Approach: As many of the areas in rainfed farming of Kandi belt of Jammu and those of Karewas in Kashmir, are eroded, degraded and deforested, so these require to be managed for conserving vegetative cover, water and soil which make all life possible. This can be done through watershed development. The central theme of watershed development is to have all round development of the rainfed areas i.e; in agriculture, horticulture, olericulture, animal/sheep husbandry, forestry, and soil and water conservation.
Prefer to Grow pulses: Pulses being leguminous crops should be preferred to grow in the rainfed farming because they have an additional advantage of fixing atmospheric nitrogen in soils. There should be definite rotations of crops. Cereals and millets should be followed by pulses and vice-versa. For instance maize or bajra grown during Kharif can be rotated with gram or gram+wheat and barley+gram during Rabi. Wheat and barley growing during Rabi season can be rotated with moth (Phaseoius aconitifolius)or black gram in Kharif. It is point to mention that hitherto many farmers of Kandi belt of Jammu used to grow moth, kulth, green gram black gram and lentil.
In Karewa areas growing of maize and paddy during Kharif season are required to be rotated with gram or gram + wheat (intercrop) during Rabi. Similarly after growing Rajmash during Kharif should be rotated with wheat or wheat + gram during Rabi.
Green Manure: Practise green manuring where it can become possible. Green manure consists of raising a quick growing leguminous crop and burying the same in the soil before flowering stage. The crops commonly raised during Kharif for green manure in Kandi belt of Jammu are sanhemp (Crotalaria juncea), mung (Phaselus aureus) and cowpea (Vigna catiang). During the Rabi season berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum) and metha (Trigonella foenumgraecum) are the suitable green manure crops.
In Karewas of Kashmir the potential of sanhemp and berseem as green manure crops is required to be exploiled. Growing of berseem will not only increase the fertility of the soil but it also provides fodder for the cattle.
(The author is former Associate Dean-cum Chief Scientist KVK, SKUAST-J)
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