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The study aimed at analysis of precipitation, overland flow, soil and nutrient loss, and its effects on livelihood in an agricultural microwatershed of Chotanagpur Plateau. The region is prone to rainfall variability and related agricultural soil-nutrient loss, not only because of changing climatic conditions, but also due to their geographical peculiarities, which adds on to the vulnerability. The sustainability of rain-fed lowland rice-based systems, the dominant land-use system (LUS) in the region, is a concern for livelihood development.
Precipitation and temperature has been widely considered as a starting point towards the apprehension of climatic variability. The temporal variability of precipitation and temperature has been assessed in order to contribute to a better interpretation of meteorological status of the study area. The precipitation data refers to the period 1982-2011 and the temperature data is from 1982-2012. Mann-Kendall test and Sen’s estimator of slope have been applied to detect possible changes in annual, seasonal and monthly data. Analysis of rainfall data indicated an overall decreasing trend with a decrease in number of rainfall days, but an increase in the number of erosive events. An increase in the maximum temperature and diurnal temperature range was observed. Minimum temperature showed a decreasing trend. The observed trends could prove to be damaging for the agricultural practices in the region. Adding to the climatic vulnerability is the threat that soil erosion causes to the sustainability of agriculture. Assessment of overland flow, soil and subsequent nutrient loss from different land-use/ land-cover revealed that overland flow was greatest in orchard (30.73%) and lowest in vegetable field (15.84%). Soil loss from the field plots ranged between 9 and 37 tonnes/ha during the monsoon months. Nutrient leaching was highest in paddy fields. A strong positive correlation was observed between organic carbon and soil loss (P < 0.01). On an average, 590 kg of macro-nutrients (N, P and K) were lost per hectare during the monsoon season. Approximately INR 8,893 ha–1 (US$ 137 ha-1) would be required to replace this loss through inorganic fertilizers.
Lack of importance given to farmers’ knowledge and perceptions towards soil and water conservation (SWC) is a major factor responsible for failure of conservation programs. Farmers understanding and their willingness-to-pay (WTP) for SWC measures were explored. Contingent valuation survey conducted to elicit the WTP (cash and labor days) for SWC draws attention to the importance of adopting SWC to ensure a second crop. The willing households of the area could generate US$ 1302.2 and/or 1207 man days, monthly. Logistic regression model showed that the WTP (cash) had strong positive influence by qualification, total income, off-farm income and previous irrigation farming experience; while WTP (labor days) had strong negative influence by age, qualification, dependency ratio, market access and livestock holding. Analysis on livelihood assets and Sustainable Livelihood Framework (SLF) revealed that all capitals, except the physical capital, were higher for the farmers with SWC measures. The study will be useful for decision makers regarding investments and policy purposes for soil-water conservation measures in agricultural lands of developing countries.
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