Download Disaster Management Plan of Industry Department

Disaster Management Plan of
Soil Conservation Department
1
Soil Conservation
 Of the total geographical area of 329 m ha, about 146
m ha is classified as degraded, although varying
estimates have been provided by different agencies.
 Of the country’s total 142 m ha cultivated land, 57 m
ha, 40 per cent of the total, is irrigated and the
remaining 85 m ha is rain-fed.
 The soil health has been deteriorating, especially
widespread micro-nutrient deficiencies (hidden
hunger) and fast depleting carbon content, resulting in
low and decelerated TFP growth rates.
2
Soil Conservation
• Detailed soil data (physical, biological, chemical and microbial) based on
effective soil testing are pre- requisites for all lands under both rain-fed
and irrigated agriculture to address the issues related to soil health.
• Central and State Land Use Boards should be reorganized and empowered
to lead this work.
• Every farm family should be issued with a Soil Health Passbook, which
contains integrated information on the physics, chemistry and
microbiology of the soils on their farm.
• More laboratories to detect specific micronutrient deficiencies in soils are
urgently needed.
• Soil organic matter content will have to be increased by incorporating crop
residues in the soil. Proper technical advice on the reclamation of
wastelands and on improving their biological potential should be available.
• Pricing policies should promote a balanced and efficient use of fertilizers.
3
Soil Conservation
• The existing practice of soil reclamation and nutrient management
using chemicals could be supplemented through various organic
means, i.e., application of FYM, compost, vermi-compost, green
manuring with an objective to regenerate the wasted potential in
eco-friendly manner.
• It is essential to revitalize the soil system through organic residues
and materials.
• The soil energy system would enhance once soil biosphere is
activated. The microbial activity in soil system would not only
enhance the organic matter content but also improve the soil
physical condition that ultimately enables the availability of more
nutrient and moisture to the plants.
• conservation farming should be developed and adopted as per
location-specific settings.
4
Soil Conservation
• The land use policy needs to be developed as per land
capability that is to be derived out of soil survey data.
• It is necessary to revive the State Land Use Boards
(SLUBs) which should be the nodal agencies to
implement land use policy.
• The networking of all SLUBs needs to be established
through reviving National Land Conservation Board
(NLCB) for proper implementation of land use policy
in the country.
• The existing data base on soils available in the country
on 1:50000 scale would help to develop the land use
policy to a great extent.
5
Soil Coservation
• SLUB should carry out land budgeting and crop
planning as per state’s requirements of various food
crops, vegetables, pulses, oilseeds, etc., that will
enable to adopt proper planning for crop production,
delivery system and marketing for the benefit of
farming communities and rural people.
• Agri-clinics, Village Knowledge Centres, Village
Resource Centres and Farm Science Managers in each
Village Panchayat should help use the soil test results
in soil-plant-nutrient management.
• Computerized modules for soil-crop care should be
prepared for distinct sites.
6
• Per capita land availability has dropped from 0.48 ha in 1951 to 0.16
ha in 1991 and is projected to drop to 0.08 ha in 2035.
• Enhancing and sustaining productivity and income of small farms
through crop-livestock-fish integration, agro-processing, value
addition and biomass utilization must be a high priority.
• As far as possible, prime farmland must be conserved for
agriculture and should not be diverted for non-agricultural
purposes and for programmes.
• Every State should constitute a Land Zonation Team consisting of
soil scientists, agronomists and remote sensing specialists to
earmark soils with a low biological potential for farming such as
wastelands, lands affected by salinity, etc., for industrial activities
and construction.
7
Soil Conservation
• Programmes promoting Rainfed Farming Systems should have a
built in component of improving soil organic matter. The current
efforts at promoting vermi-culture have a very narrow focus and
limited scope.
• Composting methods with high biomass-to-dung ratio should be
targeted to overcome the limitation of availability of dung.
• A regular subsidised transport (preferably through bullock carts) for
manures to the distant rain-fed lands should be provided. There is
scope for integrating this service with NREGS.
• Provision of a power operated biomass-shredder as a common
utility at the village level would help in cutting the biomass for
faster decomposition in manure pits. Such a facility would also
increase the fodder supply many fold by reducing wastage and
chaffing the hard stumps.
8
Soil Conservation
 Biomass production is the essential link between livestock
and livelihoods. Biomass intensification should be at the
core of watershed programme. The following are the policy
requirements:
• Plantations in rain-fed areas – in the forest land or in
commons should be livestock oriented. Mono-plantations
of non-browsable tree plantations would cause enormous
damage to the rainfed production systems.
• Local mechanisms for vesting user rights to communities to
manage and use common lands & streamlining procedures.
Excellent examples are established by Foundation for
Ecological Security across the country in this regard.
9
Soil Conservation
• Intensification of multi-purpose biomass in various
places like stream banks, road sides, field bunds etc.,
should be promoted in addition to block plantations in
common and private lands.
• Intensification of biomass used by small ruminants
should also be prioritized.
• Support for watch and ward and initial watering be
ensured till the biomass is properly established as lack
of such provisions had resulted in poor survival in
watersheds.
10
Soil Conservation
• Many traditional sustainable practices in soil health
management have become out of practice as the
labour costs increased. Labour based support systems
would be the necessary corrective measures and
provide stimulus to the rain-fed agriculture economy.
• The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
provides a unique opportunity in this regard. Extending
labour subsidies for sustainable practices in Rain-fed
Farming also serves the cause of guaranteeing
employment as it opens up a wide array of productive
work opportunities for people who are desperately in
need of employment but cannot do manual earthwork.
11