Future of agricultural economy in Ladakh.
Agriculture in Ladakh
is, like in other part of the country, the backbone of economy on which, still, in 21st
century, 65% of people depend for their livelihood. Ladakh, which comprises of
two districts, divided into Kargil and Leh in 1979, covers an area of 95876 sq.
km; including Chinese occupied Aksai Chin and Pakistan occupied Gilgit-Baltistan part, has 58% of the total area of
Jammu and Kashmir. The physiographic features comprises of high mountains, deep
valleys, glaciers, undulating plains near river banks and passes
which gives a distinct identity to the region. The land is generally slope, hard
and barren as such only 0.06% of the total land is inhabited. The economy of Ladakh,
since antiquity, was heavily dependent on agricultural land and cattle rearing
as there were only few other sources of income until recent times when, with
the advent of new source of income, people start shifting to other source of
income generation. After the Indo-Sino war of 1962, India deploys army in
eastern part of Ladakh and govt. of India opened Ladakh for tourism in 1974
both of which results in drastic changes in the Ladakhi society, culture,
economy and way of life.
Ladakh is a cold arid area, commonly known
as cold desert of India, having very high diurnal and seasonal range of
temperature and low precipitation along with high wind system which shapes
the society; its response both from with in and outside; culture, ethics
and living conditions. The snowfall in the winter, due to western disturbances,
most of the time, determines the agriculture, as source of irrigation as 98% of
agriculture is done with the help of irrigation. The rainfall occur only in
small proportion during summer months of July and August as the high mountains
and hills prevents the south west monsoon to pass resulting in low rainfall but
some time heavy rainfall occurs which results in heavy loss to lives and
properties like the cloudburst of August
2010. A crop and its good yield depend upon required temperature, good amount
of water, fertile soil, manure or fertiliser, and proper uses of technologies.
In Ladakh, having its own set of climate, soil type, precipitation and availability
of machines, only few type of crops can grow which can sustain all the vagaries
and have short growing period like barley(grim), wheat, some pulses, some
millet, vegetables, fodders( mainly a variety of alpha alpha grass). In Ladakh
the availability of water is the main factor in agriculture as almost all the
areas are slope except plains in valleys resulting into the loss of water into
the rivers without any use. In Ladakh there is only one growing season starts
from April and end up in September which comprises the seasons of spring and
summer. The crop of barley constitute two third of the total cropped area and
along with wheat it cover 86% of the cropped area. Barley, being the staple
food, since early times, used commonly as Tsampa( Gamfe in Kargil) based on the
ease of cooking as it takes no time in
comparison to other food like rice, bread etc. which is economical to the local
people in fuel scarce area like Ladakh. The grim was earlier used in barter
system for exchange with other goods along with butter and wool.
The agriculture is basically subsistence in
nature where farmers cultivated land enough to feed their families along with
cattle rearing which includes cows, yaks, donkeys, goats, dzo, dzomos, sheep
etc and is still subsistence except few land which are used for growing
vegetables, pulses and other more economically profitable crops. Presently, the
number of farmers is decreasing day by day, one can say year by year as single
cropping season, as more and more people are engaged in other economic
activities like govt. jobs, military, tourism sector, education etc. Earlier entire
members of the family used to work collectively on the fields but the trend has
change over time as now most of the farmers are women assisted by the workers
from other parts like Bihari, Nepali and Himachali. The farmers in agriculture
sector, still today, constitute 43.2% of the total workers. In Ladakh where 74%
of the land surface is above 4500mt. the land is barren, rugged and rocky which
resulting into low productivity.
A series of villages along the valley can be seen here...with greenery limited to the valleys...
In Ladakh
agriculture, in recent times, entered a new phase where with advent of new
techniques the earlier system of setting changes which results in some positive
outcomes but this development has more negative effects supported by the other
factors. The value of agriculture decreases drastically over the last two three
decades which was fuelled by tourism, army and BRO which employs most of the
people, especially male population, with higher income and less inputs. We are
now seeing a lot of fields without any crops or many well off families giving
their lands to some poor people for cultivation on some conditions. The low
output, higher depend on other imported food materials like rice, wheat, pulses
and other vegetables, PDS distribution, and rise in income of people results
into the decline of agriculture of Ladakh. The productivity is very low, e.g.
7000 MT on 4463(ha) in Leh in 2007 and the land holding is also low1.3 ha and
0.78ha in Leh and Kargil, as most of the land are barren and an average only
28% of the land of villages is cultivated. In Ladakh, in earlier times, the parents
used to take their children to their fields as helper and subsequently the
young children has to take responsibilities along with their parents but in
nowadays almost all the children goes to school, colleges and universities
which break the older tradition but this is good move as, by the way, an
educated person has high productive capacity as enabled with various skills.
Animal rearing was an essential component of agriculture, all over the world,
which has as cause and effect relationship with the land but in recent time the
number of cattle decreases which results in low manure production which compels
the farmers to use fertilisers, although it is used for higher productivity alongside
manures, which has its cons also. With the opening of new market, with rise in
demands, a lot of people are engaged in tertiary activities, with construction
works in rises many people attached with construction which decreases the no.
of worker on field which results into less preference to agriculture, low productivity
and migration toward the towns.
In current scenario
a lot of works have been doing by various authorities and organisation to reclaim
and strengthen the agriculture system in the region. The agriculture department
at central, state and council level along with agriculture universities and
other organisations is trying to give a new shape to the existing agriculture
system of the region. The ongoing projects like poly green house is aimed at
providing conditioned temperature so that vegetables can grow in low
temperature also. Govt. distributes seeds, fertilisers, saplings, at lower rate
at all the block level stores and provides information about these facilities
which helps in awareness among the masses. In current scenario agriculture,
nowadays, is mostly in Ladakh is limited
to rural areas as people in large number start migrating toward towns and other
part of state or country, although there are only two towns in Ladakh, for
other source of livelihood. New canals, pipelines, roads and ponds are under
constructing to harness the runoff water of the slope and valleys, to supply
water to the field, to enable tractors to reach the fields and to store the water
respectively on new technological basis.
The future of
agriculture is good as well as deteriorating based on certain conditions
mentioned above conditions and factors. We can improve the existing condition
of agriculture in Ladakh as we can use the new methods as the new young
generation is equipped with new ideas and techniques. It could reduce the
unemployment level in the region which is rampant today. New methods and types
of agriculture like floriculture, horticulture, and fruit cultivation which
has a huge demand in market can reduce the menace of unemployment issue, a
major socio-economic problem, from our region. But still it has less scope in
Ladakh in comparison to other part of the state and country because of the
vagaries of climate, single growing season, less land holding, infertile soil,
slope areas and water shortages. Thus the secondary and tertiary economic
activities became much popular within no time which needs less input, has high
output, can be year round and other benefits which attracts people especially
younger generations. We can even
strengthen our all aspects of agriculture so as to reduce dependence on outer
areas as, nowadays, we are spending lot of our income on purchasing food items.
THANK YOU FOR READING.
THANK YOU FOR READING.
a lush green field of grim in front of a house... a gompa can be seen also.......pic taken by the author..
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