Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T23:46:03.700Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Impact of soil and water conservation measures on farm productivity and income in the semi-arid tropics of Bundelkhand, central India

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 September 2022

Bishwa Bhaskar Choudhary ,
Inder Dev ,
Priyanka Singh Open the ORCID record for Priyanka Singh [Opens in a new window] ,
Ramesh Singh ,
Purushottam Sharma ,
Khem Chand ,
Kaushal K Garg ,
KH Anantha ,
Venkataradha Akuraju  and
Sreenath Dixit
...Show all authors
Bishwa Bhaskar Choudhary
Affiliation:
ICAR – Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi, 284 003, UP, India
Inder Dev
Affiliation:
ICAR – Central Agroforestry Research Institute, Jhansi, 284 003, UP, India
Priyanka Singh*
Affiliation:
ICAR – Central Agroforestry Research Institute, Jhansi, 284 003, UP, India
Ramesh Singh
Affiliation:
ICRISAT Development Centre, ICRISAT, Patancheru, 502324, Telangana, India
Purushottam Sharma
Affiliation:
ICAR – Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi, 284 003, UP, India
Khem Chand
Affiliation:
ICAR – Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi, 284 003, UP, India ICAR – National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research, New Delhi, India
Kaushal K Garg
Affiliation:
ICRISAT Development Centre, ICRISAT, Patancheru, 502324, Telangana, India
KH Anantha
Affiliation:
ICRISAT Development Centre, ICRISAT, Patancheru, 502324, Telangana, India
Venkataradha Akuraju
Affiliation:
ICRISAT Development Centre, ICRISAT, Patancheru, 502324, Telangana, India
Sreenath Dixit
Affiliation:
ICRISAT Development Centre, ICRISAT, Patancheru, 502324, Telangana, India
Sunil Kumar
Affiliation:
ICAR – Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi, 284 003, UP, India
Asha Ram
Affiliation:
ICAR – Central Agroforestry Research Institute, Jhansi, 284 003, UP, India
Naresh Kumar
Affiliation:
ICAR – Central Agroforestry Research Institute, Jhansi, 284 003, UP, India
*
Author for correspondence: Dr Priyanka Singh, Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Soil and water are crucial resources for agriculture, especially in arid and semi-arid rain-fed areas, yet farm-level economic impacts and the factors influencing the adoption of measures for their conservation are little studied. The present study used data from 400 farm households to assess factors influencing the adoption of soil and water conservation measures (SWCMs) and their impacts on farm productivity and income in a semi-arid region of central India. We employed a probit model to determine the factors influencing the on-farm adoption of SWCMs and a propensity score matching technique for assessing their impacts. The findings indicate that farmer age and education, off-farm income, farm size and land ownership and access to training are key drivers of the adoption of SWCMs. SWCMs accentuated the input costs by INR 1689–2847 per ha during the rabi cropping season (October–February), but also increased crop productivity and net revenue from farming. The impact in the rabi season was less sensitive to the unobserved confounders than in the kharif season (June–September). Therefore, SWCMs could represent an important strategy for unlocking the cultivation potential of large rain-fed areas and for sustaining the livelihoods of farm households in the ecologically fragile arid and semi-arid tropics.

Keywords

adoptionimpactpropensity score matchingsemi-arid regionsoil and water conservation
Type
Research Paper
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 49 , Issue 4 , December 2022 , pp. 263 - 271
Check for updates
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Foundation for Environmental Conservation

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Barron, J, Noel, S, Mikhail, M (2009) Review of Agricultural Water Management Intervention Impacts at the Watershed Scale: A Synthesis Using the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework. Stockholm, Sweden: Stockholm Environment Institute.Google Scholar
Becerril, J, Abdulai, A (2009) The impact of improved maize varieties on poverty in Mexico: a propensity score matching approach. World Development 38: 1024–1035.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Borges, JAR, Luzardo, F, Vanderson, TX (2015) An interdisciplinary framework to study farmers’ decisions on adoption of innovation: insights from expected utility theory and theory of planned behavior. African Journal of Agricultural Research 10: 2814–2825.Google Scholar
Bouma, JA, Scott, C (2006) The Possibilities for Dryland Crop Yield Improvement in India’s Semi-Arid Regions: Observations from the Field. Comprehensive Assessment Discussion Paper No. 3. Colombo, Sri Lanka: Comprehensive Assessment Secretariat.Google Scholar
Caliendo, M, Kopeinig, S (2005) Some Practical Guide for the Implementation of Propensity Score Matching. Discussion Paper Series 1588. Bonn, Germany: Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, H, Zhu, T, Krotta, M, Calvo, JF, Ganesh, SP, Makot, I (2013) Measurement and evaluation of livelihood assets in sustainable forest commons governance. Land Use Policy 30: 908–914.Google Scholar
Choudhary, BB, Singh, P (2019) How unequal is rural Punjab? Empirical evidence from spatial income distribution. Current Science 117: 1855–1862.Google Scholar
Choudhary, BB, Sirohi, S (2020) Modelling climate sensitivity of agriculture in Trans and Upper Gangetic Plains of India. Theoretical and Applied Climatology 142: 381–391.Google Scholar
Choudhary, BB, Sirohi, S (2022) Understanding vulnerability of agricultural production system to climatic stressors in north Indian plains: a meso-analysis. Environment Development and Sustainability. Epub ahead of print, DOI: 10.1007/s10668-021-01997-7.Google ScholarPubMed
Dar, WD, Bantilan, MCS, Anupama, GV, Deepthi, H, Padmaja, R (2007) Dryland agriculture in Asia: ideas, paradigms and policies. In: Balisacan, AN, Fuwa, N (eds), Reasserting the Rural Development Agenda: Lessons Learned and Emerging Challenges in Asia (pp. 191–226). Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.Google Scholar
Datta, N (2015) Evaluating impacts of watershed development program on agricultural productivity, income, and livelihood in Bhalki watershed of Bardhaman district, west Bengal. World Development 66: 443–456.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diiro, G (2013) Impact of Off-Farm Income on Technology Adoption Intensity and Productivity: Evidence from Rural Maize Farmers in Uganda. Working Paper 11. Washington, DC, USA: International Food Policy Research Institute.Google Scholar
Erenstein, O, Malik, RK, Singh, S (2007) Adoption and Impact of Zero-Tillage in the Rice–Wheat Zone of Irrigated Haryana, India. New Delhi, India: International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT).Google Scholar
Gachene, CKK, Nyawade, SO, Karanja, NN (2019) Soil and water conservation: an overview. In: Leal Filho, W, Azul, AM, Brandli, L, Ozuyar, PG, Wall, T (eds), Zero Hunger (pp. 810–823). Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing.Google Scholar
Garg, KK, Anantha, KH, Nune, R, Venkataradha, A, Singh, P, Gumma, MK et al. (2020) Impact of land use changes and management practices on groundwater resources in Kolar district, southern India. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies 31: 100732.Google Scholar
Garg, KK, Wani, SP, Barron, J, Karlberg, L, Rockstrom, J (2012) Up-scaling potential impacts on water flows from agricultural water interventions: opportunities and trade-offs in the Osman Sagar catchment, Musi sub-basin, India. Hydrological Processes 27: 3905–3921.Google Scholar
Gebremedhin, B, Swinton, SM (2003) Investment in soil conservation in northern Ethiopia: the role of land tenure security and public programs. Agricultural Economics 29: 69–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holland, PW (1986) Statistics and causal inference. Journal of the American Statistical Association 81: 945–960.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Illukpitiya, P, Gopalakrishnan, C (2004) Decision making in soil conservation: application of a behavioral model to potato farmers in Sri Lanka. Land Use Policy 2: 321–331.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Joshi, PK, Jha, AK, Wani, SP, Joshi, L, Shiyani, RL (2005) Meta-Analysis to Assess of Watershed Programme and People Participation. Comprehensive Assessment Research Report 8. Colombo, Sri Lanka: IWMI.Google Scholar
Kassa, Y, Beyene, F, Haji, J, Legesse, B (2013) Impact of integrated soil and water conservation program on crop production and income in West Harerghe Zone, Ethiopia. International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis 1: 111–120.Google Scholar
Keele, L (2010) An Overview of rbounds: An R Package for Rosenbaum Bounds Sensitivity Analysis with Matched Data. White paper. Columbus, OH, USA: Citeseer.Google Scholar
Kumar, A, Sirohi, S, Pandey, D, Devi, RH, Choudhary, BB (2019) Gross economic efficiency of water use in agriculture and water-saving farm plans for Punjab. Agricultural Economics Research Review 32: 43–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kumar, S, Singh, DR, Singh, A, Singh, NP, Jha, GK (2020) Does adoption of soil and water conservation practice enhance productivity and reduce risk exposure? Empirical evidence from Semi-Arid Tropics (SAT), India. Sustainability 12: 6965.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kumawat, A, Yadav, D, Samadharmam, K, Rashmi, I (2020) Soil and water conservation measures for agricultural sustainability. In: Meena, RS, Datta, R (eds), Soil Moisture Importance (pp. 1–22). London, UK: IntechOpen.Google Scholar
Mango, N, Makate, C, Tamene, L, Mponela, P, Ndengu, G (2017) Awareness and adoption of land, soil and water conservation practices in the Chinyanja Triangle, southern Africa. International Soil and Water Conservation Research 5: 122–129.Google Scholar
Mendola, M (2007) Agricultural technology adoption and poverty reduction: a propensity score matching analysis for rural Bangladesh. Food Policy 32: 372–393.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mercer, DE (2004) Adoption of agroforestry innovations in the tropics: a review. Agroforestry Systems 61–62: 311–328.Google Scholar
Mishra, PK, Singh, M, Kumar, G (2018) Water management and conservation innovations for doubling farmers’ income. In: Chaudhari, SK, Patra, AK, Biswas, DR (eds), Soil and Water Management Innovations towards Doubling the Farmers’ Income (pp. 23–47). Bulletin of the Indian Society of Soil Science 32. New Delhi, India: Indian Society of Soil Science.Google Scholar
Mondal, B, Singh, A, Jha, GK (2012) Impact of watershed development programmes on farm-specific technical efficiency: a study in Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh. Agricultural Economics Research Review 25: 299–308.Google Scholar
Mwango, SB, Msanya, BM, Mtakwa, PW, Kimaro, DN, Deckers, J, Poesen, J et al. (2015) Effectiveness of selected soil conservation practices on soil erosion control and crop yields in the Usambara Mountains, Tanzania. Journal of Agriculture and Ecology Research International 2: 129–144.Google Scholar
Nkegbe, PK, Bhavani, S, Graziano, MC (2011) Smallholder adoption of soil and water conservation practices in northern Ghana. Journal of Agriculture, Science and Technology 2: 595–605.Google Scholar
Nkegbe, PK, Shankar, B (2014) Adoption intensity of soil and water conservation practices by smallholders: evidence from northern Ghana. Bio-based and Applied Economics 3: 159–174.Google Scholar
Pattanayak, SK, Mercer, DE, Sills, E, Yang, JC (2003) Taking stock of agroforestry adoption studies. Agroforestry Systems 57: 173–186.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Priscilla, L, Chauhan, AK (2019) Economic impact of cooperative membership on dairy farmers in Manipur: a propensity score matching approach. Agricultural Economics Research Review 32: 117–123.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rao, CR, Lal, R, Prasad, J, Gopinath, KA, Singh, R, Jakkula, VS et al. (2015) Chapter four – potential and challenges of rainfed farming in India. Advances in Agronomy 133: 113–181.Google Scholar
Rathod, P, Dixit, S (2020) Dairying in Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh: constraints to realizing the potential. Indian Journal of Animal Sciences 90: 3–11.Google Scholar
Rosenbaum, PR (2002) Observational Studies, 2nd edition. New York, NY, USA: Springer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosenbaum, PR, Rubin, DB (1983) The central role of the propensity score in observational studies for causal effect. Biometrika 70: 41–55.Google Scholar
Rosenbaum, PR, Rubin, DB (1985) Constructing a control group using multivariate matched sampling methods that incorporate the propensity score. The American Statistician 39: 33–38.Google Scholar
Sahu, RK, Rawat, AK, Rao, DLN (2015) Traditional rainwater management system (‘Haveli’) in vertisols of central India improves carbon sequestration and biological soil fertility. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 200: 94–101.Google Scholar
Sharma, P, Choudhary, BB, Singh, P, Kumar, S, Gupta, G, Dev, I (2021) Can forage technologies transform Indian livestock sector? Evidences from smallholder dairy farmers in Bundelkhand region of central India. Agricultural Economics Research Review 34: 73–82.Google Scholar
Shively, GE (2001) Poverty, consumption risk and soil conservation. Journal of Development Economics 65: 267–290.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sianesi, B (2004) Evaluation of the active labor market programs in Sweden. The Review of Economics and Statistics 86: 133–155.Google Scholar
Sidhu, HS, Jat, ML, Singh, Y, Sidhu, RK, Gupta, N, Singh, P et al. (2019) Sub-surface drip fertigation with conservation agriculture in a rice-wheat system: a breakthrough for addressing water and nitrogen use efficiency. Agricultural Water Management 216: 273–283.Google Scholar
Singh, R, Garg, KK, Wani, SP, Tewari, SP, Dhyani, SK (2014) Impact of water management interventions on hydrology and ecosystem services in Garhkundar–Dabar watershed of Bundelkhand region, central India. Journal of Hydrology 509: 132–149.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Singh, P, Goyal, M, Choudhary, BB (2022) How sustainable is food system in India? Mapping evidence from the state of Punjab. Environment, Development and Sustainability. Epub ahead of print, DOI: 10.1007/s10668-021-02034-3.Google Scholar
Singha, C (2017) Causal Impact of the Adoption of Soil Conservation Measures on Farm Profit, Revenue and Variable Cost in Darjeeling District, India. Working Paper No.121-17. Kathmandu, Nepal: South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE).Google Scholar
Tizale, CY (2007) The Dynamics of Soil Degradation and Incentives for Optimal Management in Central Highlands of Ethiopia. PhD dissertation. Pretoria, South Africa: University of Pretoria.Google Scholar
Wordofa, MG, Okoyo, EN, Erkalo, E (2020) Factors influencing adoption of improved structural soil and water conservation measures in eastern Ethiopia. Environmental Systems Research 9: 13.Google Scholar
Yaebiyo, G, Tesfay, Y, Assefa, D (2015) Socio-economic impact assessment of integrated watershed management in Sheka watershed, Ethiopia. Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development 6: 202–213.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Choudhary et al. supplementary material

Choudhary et al. supplementary material

Download Choudhary et al. supplementary material(File)
File 12.1 KB