Various researchers have concentrated on the ethnic and cultural diversity of the Himalayas which has been studied from the classical anthropological viewpoint. Much less is documented, however, of these societies rich knowledge of the fragile environment and of their strategies for the management of natural resources at the local levels. Scientific studies show that in hills, ecology-based relation between agricultural land and support land should be maintained at 1:1.6 hectares at micro level. Support land includes four types of land use categories, viz., forest land, pasture land, land under miscellaneous tree crops and groves and culturable wasteland. The man-land ratio is not a cause for concern, but the actual usable land is smaller in Himachal Pradesh because of the high altitudes and remoteness of regions. Field studies have revealed that as a result of provision of irrigation facilities in parts of the state, the cropping pattern has not only undergone changes, but has also changed the agriculture practices. The village level ratio of agricultural land to support land in the state was 1:1.33 hectares during 1990-91, which includes private and community/government support land. The ratio has declined and is continuing to and this is a cause of grave concern for the state of Himachal Pradesh. Also historical evidences reveal that there has been shrinkage of pasturage areas in the state due to distribution of “shamlat” lands, forest enclosures and extension of agriculture to marginal lands. The interdependencies between water, soil, forests, human beings and livestock in the agro-climatic zones in Himachal Pradesh form the subject of this book. The study further aims at seeing the trends in land utilization patterns, cropping patterns and livestock farming in the state. Also attempted is a socio-economic profile of the individuals in the surveyed households categorizing them into migrants and non-migrants. The community(ies) in Himachal Pradesh has been studied and the role of community activities, community participation and extension activities in the state has been evaluated through case studies, participatory rural appraisals and interviews.
Contents :
1. ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN AGRICULTURE: THE CASE
2. BIOPHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
3. LAND-USE AND CROPPING PATTERN
4. LIVESTOCK FARMING
5. DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS
6. COMMUNITY AND COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN HIMACHAL PRADESH
7. THE MARCH AHEAD
Annexures
Bibliography
