Improving Hill Farming: From Maize Monocropping to Alternative Cropping Systems in the Thai Highlands

Lately, the Hill Pond Rice System (HPRS) is being promoted as a form of alternative farming systems in selected northern provinces of Thailand, in which the land conversion is designed to maximize rainwater harvesting in farmland consisting of forest trees, water reservoirs, paddy fields, and high-value crop cultivation to serve environmental and livelihood needs. This study employed the double-hurdle model and the tobit technique to investigate the farm-level factors associated with land conversion from maize monocropping to the HPRS using primary data collected from 253 households in Nan, Chiang Mai, Tak, and Lampang Provinces. It was found that education, farming knowledge, understanding benefits of the HPRS, access to water sources, access to advis, and workforce sharing raised the likelihood and extent of farmland conversion into the HPRS. In contrast, perceived complexity of the HPRS, experiences with negative shocks, and land tenure security lowered the likelihood and extent of land conversion. The findings suggest that on-farm collective action should be promoted to mitigate labor constraints in implementation and that access to equipment should be enhanced through HPRS advisors’ visits.

Issues, Challenges and Opportunities of Agriculture in West Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh

A survey was made during ‘Kisan Jawan Vigyan Mela’ at Defence Research LaboratoryResearch and Development Centre (DRL R&D Centre), Salari, West Kameng district ofArunachal Pradesh with an aim of getting insight of issues, challenges and opportunitiesof agriculture sector. The relevant data was collected during Mela from 67 farmers of 11villages of the district using semi-structured interview (SSI) and a rank-based quotient (RBQ)was worked out to rank the farmers issues and challenges. Based on ranking of problemsby the group of farmers, outbreak of insect-pest and diseases, paucity of quality seedmaterial of field and vegetable crops and lack of technical knowhow were found to be themajor issues and challenges of the region. The problem solution trees for three of the majorproblems were constructed and the opportunities in hill farming were suggested to thefarmers as per the impact analysis and RBQ.

Mesopotamian Faulkner: As I Lay Dying and the Southern Anthropocene in the 1930s

This article attempts to read William Faulkner’s novel As I Lay Dying (1930) within the recent theoretical framework of the Anthropocene. It pays particular attention to the local appearance of the Anthropocene in the interwar American South, which became visible in flooding and deforestation. It argues that the story of the hill-farming Bundren family requires more than an ideological reading that would emphasize the eventual assimilation of the family to the modern market in the New South. It advances instead an ecological-historical interpretation, central to which is a reading of the deceased Addie Bundren as a topographical figure for the toxic southern soil. Her family are seen as continuers of a tradition of “agrilogistics” (Timothy Morton) that dates back over twelve thousand years to Mesopotamia. The article tries to identify the consequences of this reading for Faulkner’s representation of character, which can be seen as a static product of the deep time of geological periods. Finally, it argues that Darl Bundren’s subjectless, extreme consciousness is the only one in the novel that has some comprehension of the advent of the southern Anthropocene, although he has no way of extracting himself from this advent apart from absolute madness.

Impact of crop diversification on livelihood improvement and sustainable land management in Chattogram Hill Tracts of Bangladesh

The study was conducted at Sorai union of Lama Upazilla under Bandarban district of Chattogram Hill Tracts. It was found that total 19 plant species including bamboos, timbers and fruit crops have been widely cultivated in the area. Among the species five bamboo (Mitinga, Baijja Muli, Borak and Kali), six timbers (Acacia, Eucalyptus, Garjon, Teak, Gamar and Rubber) and eight fruits (Mango, Olive, Papaya, Guava, Coconut, Hog pulm, Orange and Betel nut) were recorded. Bamboo based agro-forestry modules were developed and practiced which produced a very good cropping diversification to sustain the crop productivity, protection of land sliding, soil erosion, water shade and soil fertility in the hill areas. It has been observed that farmers’ have a very good positive attitude and perception in diversified cropping system to get better yields than mono cropping agricultural practice at their home- stead and farm- lands. It has a very good opportunity to make the crop diversification for sustainable production of hill farming and resource management. J. Biodivers. Conserv. Bioresour. Manag. 2020, 6(1): 1-8

Problems and Prospects of Agricultural Marketing in Hills of Himachal Pradesh

Agricultural marketing plays a crucial role in accelerating the economic development of hill agriculture. An efficient agriculture marketing system is supposed to add to the welfare of producers as well as consumers. It helps in the optimization of resource use, output management, increase in farm incomes, widening of markets, growth of agro-based industry, addition to national income through value addition and employment creation. India is a country with diverse agro-climatic endowments; conditions under which agriculture in the plains and hills present differing scenario. The mountainous region of the country has tremendous potential or cultivation of many high valued added and rare commodities. Among the 34 million people that inhabit the Himalayan region of the country, a large percentage is of the hill farming communities. The hills of India produces a wide range of goods starting from temperate fruits to subtropical fruits but lacks infrastructure facilities due to which farmers do not get better price for their produce. Traditional agriculture is the major and dominant activity in the hill economy, which confronts multiple risks and uncertainty. The hills of Himachal Pradesh also have lots of inherent constraints related to agricultural marketing in terms of inaccessibility and remoteness, marginality and fragility, scattered land holdings, traditional mode of production, low use of modern inputs, transportation difficulty due to the difficult hilly terrain, non-availability of regulated markets, lack of proper market information and absence of post-harvest infrastructure. As we all know that hilly regions are gradually diversified in favour of fruits and vegetables, different flower plants and forest trees production but, due to scarcity of proper transportation, lack of postharvest infrastructure, under-developed supporting institutions, industries, undulating topography, lack of innovative technologies etc. the growth potential of hill agriculture is still remained unexploited. Therefore, strengthening of markets, innovative marketing techniques and boosting on-line trading can help in a big way for solving the problems of marketing in hills.

Drought Impact and Adaptation Strategies in the Mid-Hill Farming System of Western Nepal

Climate-induced drought hazard has been emerging as one of the major challenges in the mid-hill farming system and rural livelihood in Nepal. Drought stress, in combination with century-long socio-political issues such as unequal social structure, gender discrimination, and marginalization of poor and disadvantaged groups have made smallholders more vulnerable in society. Climate changes are exacerbating issues within an already vulnerable society. Therefore, a review study on the impact of drought on the rain-fed hill farming system, and the potential adaptation measures, was carried out in the mid-hill region of western Nepal. Both agricultural impacts such as depletion of traditional varieties of crops, crop-specific diseases, low production, lack of water for irrigation; and non-agricultural impacts such as changing rural livelihood patterns, and social conflict due to agriculture and water issues were identified as major impacts. Some of the agricultural adaptation measures viz. the promotion of climate smart agriculture practices, crop diversification, and agroforestry practices seem to have been more effective in the region. At the same time, small-scale structural water harvesting measures, for instance, rainwater harvesting, conservation ponds, and irrigation channels, drip water irrigation, and an early warning system for drought events could also be an advantage in this context. Nonetheless, there are several adaptation barriers including ecological and physical constraints, human and information resource-shortages, and social barriers to adaptation. Therefore, local site-specific adaptation measures should be developed, and implemented, to increase the adaptive capacity of smallholders, and enhance the farming system in the face of the climate-induced drought scenario.