Background: Crop diversification is a practice of moving from a single crop to a wider variety of crops or from traditionally cultivated, less lucrative crops to more lucrative ones. Diversified cropping is important for sustainable agriculture. The present study, conducted in the district of Bilaspur of Himachal Pradesh, analyzes the existing cropping pattern, cropping system, and crop diversification.
Methods: The study was conducted in all four blocks of district Bilaspur, i.e., Ghumarwin, Bilaspur Sadar, Jhandutta, and Shri Naina Devi at Swarghat, using a random sampling technique. The data was collected from 60 respondents using personnel interview method, and the Herfindahl index was used to measure crop diversification.
Results: The results indicate that wheat and maize are the major cereals grown, and the cropping pattern of the district is progressively changing from a conventional cereal-based to a more diversified, high-value crops-based system. But there was a decline in area under pulses and rice cultivation, which can be attributed to climate change, low irrigation facilities, low labor availability, and wild animal menace. The wheat-maize cropping system was more prominent in the district. The major factors influencing crop diversification were increasing market demand for fruits and vegetables, government policies, and varying agroclimatic conditions. The crop diversification index for Ghumarwin, Bilaspur Sadar, Jhandutta, and Shri Naina Devi (Swarghat) is calculated as 0.783, 0.778, 0.813, and 0.762, respectively. The overall Crop diversification index value for the pooled sample of 60 respondents from the district Bilaspur as a whole is 0.7947. This indicates that crops are highly diversified in the study region. Market uncertainty, inadequate storage facilities, and pest/disease incidence were the main obstacles to diversification.
Conclusion: The study recommends the development of well-established markets in proximity to farmers, enhanced irrigation infrastructure, credit availability, agricultural trainings and storage facilities to support crop diversification.
Cropping pattern, cropping system, crop diversification, herfindahl index, bilaspur, sustainable agriculture
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