Agriculture: Successful Farming

Agriculture is the most essential sector in a country like India to ensure food security and over all sustainable rural development. Agriculture is the primary activity that is directly related with land resource, employment and standard of living of the rural people.

It depends primarily on the integrated use of natural resources. During 2011 almost 70% of the land of the district was under cultivation. The actual net sown area was 214 thousand hectares. This is almost 4.57 % of the state's total net sown area (District Statistical Handbook, 2011).

About 76% of the main work force is related with this sector. Almost 41% share of the district's income is from agriculture. Actually agriculture is the main source of livelihood of the rural population supplemented by fishing, livestock rearing and horticulture. Due to lack of mineral resource, development of industries has not progressed.

Factors affecting agriculture

It is mentioned earlier that the littoral set up in the eastern part of the district, submontane western hilly segment and the existence of the river intersected high fertile land makes the physical condition unique.

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Over all, the land accords facility of cultivation although in varying degrees.

During field survey it was also noticed that holdings located in the vicinity of the hills or simply at the foot hills are well used for cultivation if not affected by lateritic layers. In coastal blocks like Baliapal, Bhograi the dune slacks and Chenier plains, specially the tidal flats, are well used for cultivation, specially paddy.

The hilly tracts run suddenly down to the alluvial tract.

It is fertile by nature as this is enriched with the vegetable matter or organic matter washed down from the hilly ridges. The rest is arable alluvial tract that varies from the high level arable land to the low level arable lands i.e. pats.

On the basis of the location of the land three divisions have been identified from field surveys. Soils also influence agriculture. Clayey soils are well known for producing rice and in some cases sugarcane. But Chitika matiala mati (excessively sticky clay soil) is not suitable for cultivation as the stickiness is high in this soil and overall production is also not up to the mark.

The farmers need to use sufficient fertilizers to get a reasonable output. 'Dorosa mati' is a mixture of sand and clay and well used for Rabi crop cultivation. 'Talbelia' is a type of loam containing more percentage of sand than dorosa. It is looser in texture and needs more fertilizers than other soils. 'Baliamatiala' is a loam with large percentage of earth or rich sandy loam. 'Thengajami' is a form of sandy soil generally left unused.

The rainfall and temperature of the district are also suitable for cultivation. The climate is basically hot and humid. So the district mainly enjoys a subtropical humid climate. The average summer temperature is 35?C on an average and in winter the average temperature becomes approximately 12?C.

Average rainfall of district is 1592 mm and the phase within June to September is wet. So throughout the year the climatic suitability for rice cultivation, different vegetable cultivation, horticulture, different oil seeds, specially mustard, is quite impressive. The coastal environment also provides suitability for betel cultivation beside paddy, groundnut, watermelon etc.

 Agro-Climatic and Agro ecological sub regions

There are ten agro climatic zones in Orissa. Among them, Balasore falls in the north eastern coastal plain. This zone is characterized by moist sub-humid climate. The mean annual rainfall of this zone is 1592 mm, the mean maximum summer temperatures is 36o C and mean minimum winter temperature is 14.8o C. The available soil types are red, lateritic, deltaic alluvial, coastal alluvial, saline etc.

Agro ecological regions form a basis for proposing suitable and sustainable rural land use planning (Figs.6.1A&B). According to FAO (1996) 'An Agro-ecological Zone is a land resource mapping unit, defined in terms of climate, landform and soils, and/or land cover, and having a specific range of potentials and constraints for land use'.

An agro-ecological zone is the unit of land carved out of agro- climatic zone , superimposed on landform which acts as modifier to climate, and length of growing period' (Mandal.C & Gajbhiye.K.S, 2000).

6.1.3 Agricultural Infrastructure:

6.1.3.1 Irrigation potential:

Though mechanization, fertilizer use, modern technology now have great impacts on the production of crops, yet irrigation plays a prime role in agriculture. During primary survey almost 95% respondents supported the view.

Balasore district is fairly irrigated. The status of irrigation in the district is as follows

• i) In Kharif season only 55.58% is irrigated out of total cultivated area and 42.02% in Rabi season. In Orissa this is 46.39% in Kharif and 22.77% in Rabi season.
• ii) Irrigation is the basic requirement in Kharif season to save the crop if drought condition occurs. But in Rabi season irrigation is the prime requirement. Hence, irrigation facility in Rabi season is essential for the farmers.
• iii) Lack of irrigation prevents a second crop in non-irrigated areas, mainly cash crops, during Rabi season. These lands are specifically used for moong and biri (pulses), ground nut, vegetable and paddy cultivation.
• iv)The average development of ground water in the district is 41.85% as on March 2001.Block level ground water development varies from 19.42% to 69.71%.
• v) Saline ground water is a problem in six blocks of the district: Bhograi, Baliapal, Basta, and Sadar, Remuna and Bahanaga. In these blocks installation of Shallow Tube Wells (STWs) with pump sets have been banned by the Govt. But during primary field survey shallow tube well installation has been noticed in the northern part. This leads to good production.
• vi) Except lift irrigation, flow irrigation (Major & Medium Irrigation Projects) is also available in three blocks.
• vii) The district has two Medium Irrigation Projects, i.e., a) Salandi Irrigation Project & b) Sunei Irrigation Project.

Pani Panchayat -Irrigation Potential creation has been a major scheme of the Government. After 2000, Pani Panchayat was implemented to keep maximum area under irrigation by involving farmers. Categorically one can classify the projects into major/ medium, minor, lift and other irrigation projects.

To provide 35% irrigation facility, 'Pani Panchayat' was organized that ultimately helped to fulfill the irrigation requirement. Pani Panchayat is a participatory irrigation management implemented in 2002 and expanded significantly. The scheme was first implemented in the 90's under the Orissa Water Resource Consolidation Project. The main objectives of this programme was -

• i) Awareness among farmers about the benefit of the Pani Panchayat.
• ii) Creating self dependency and appraisal among the farmers.
• iii) Convincing farmers to go for cash crops.

In 2011 Bahanaga, Khaira, Nilagiri, Oupada, Soro and Simulia blocks had less number of Pani Panchayats than the mean number. The range of inequality of the z score is also high in three blocks i.e. Basta, Bhograi and Jaleswar. The hilly blocks like Oupada, Nilagiri, and Khaira have least number of beneficiaries.

The gross cropped area, area sown more than once and cropping intensity are significantly high in Basta, Bhograi, Jaleswar and Baliapal. Besides, these blocks also have sufficient irrigation potential in Kharif and Rabi seasons. So the scope for cultivation is quite high and that gives scope for Pani Panchayats to perform.

Minor flow and lift irrigation projects: These are available throughout the district. Basta, Jaleswar, Nilagiri and Khaira have much area under minor flow irrigation. From 2000-01 to 2010-11, the average potential was 838.2 hectares in Kharif and 262.8 hectares in Rabi season (Figs.6.2A&B).

The variability of these two seasons was 94.67% for Kharif season and 77.68% for Rabi season. In the district, most of the irrigation potential is provided by LI. Soro, Simulia, Bahanaga have maximum number of operable lift irrigation points in 2008-09.

Pearson's product moment has been applied to find out whether the number of lift irrigation points is increasing with increasing net sown area. A poor positive relation between these two variables has come and the regression value has become 'r'=0.36.

In total, 1209 LI Projects, with command area of 21604 ha, exists in the district. Out of this, almost 48% (577) are defunct. During field survey huge number of respondents have informed about the insufficiency and lack of irrigation facility.

As irrigation is highly required so plan for 35% irrigation potential was implemented and considered as master plan. Some of the blocks like Bhograi block had high irrigation facility whereas other blocks did not have that much irrigation coverage. But by March 2009, Basta, Baliapal and Jaleswar blocks have achieved 35% irrigation facility.

However requirement of irrigation for Rabi cultivation should be the basic target. Frequent high rain and depressions, cyclones or insufficient rainfall with drought condition and unequal availability of irrigation becomes main constraints in Kharif season production. Correlation between Kharif paddy production and the total seasonal rainfall of 2008-09 shows a strong positive relationship ('r' is =0.90).

Surface Water Irrigation Potential: Almost in every case the created irrigation potential has less variability in Rabi season than in Kharif. The Z score represents that in Kharif season Bahanaga, Bhograi, Baliapal, Baliapal, Basta, Oupada, Remuna and Soro have negative status than the mean of average irrigated area of the district.

In Rabi season Khaira, Nilagiri, Oupada, Remuna and Soro blocks show negative status than the mean irrigated area of the district. The variability of the surface water level is related with ground water level fluctuation. In Bahanaga, Balasore , Khaira, Nilagiri and Oupada blocks all surface water sources face lowering of water level making the scope for potential development limited (Figs.6.3A&B).

The status of the average potential created shows that -

• i) In 2010-11 the focus of Kharif season irrigation potential is mainly concentrated in Simulia Nilagiri and Khaira.All other blocks such except these three showes low potential than the mean of the district in Kharif season. Oupada block had most underdeveloped condition among the blocks. In Rabi season also, the blocks i.e. Oupada, Nilagiri and Khaira with hilly terrain condition were lagging behind and Bhograi, Jaleswar and Simulia block has highest potential as these blocks have canal and lift irrigation development. .
• ii) Two blocks with rugged topography i.e. Nilagiri and Oupada have extremely low potential due to physical constraint. This is a major factor that restricts Rabi cultivation.
• iii) Only Bhograi and Jaleswar blocks have large created irrigation potential as the vast alluvial plain provides scope for cultivation.