Case Studies

Area of study

This project focuses on the farming systems of the Ganga River Basin, one of the largest drainage basin areas in the world. The Ganga Basin covers 1,086,000 km2, around one third of the total land area of India, from the Himalayan-Tibetan area in the west to the Bengal Delta in the east. The basin is commonly divided into three zones: the upper Ganga Plain, the middle Ganga Plain and the Lower Ganga Plain. We selected one state in each zone: Haryana (upper plain), Uttar Pradesh (middle plain) and West Bengal (lower plain), along an increasing gradient of rainfall from the western to the eastern part of the basin.

Location of the study states in the Ganga Basin
The main characteristics of the three case study district are shown in the table below:
District Name
Hisar
Etawah
Bankura
State Name
Haryana
Uttar Pradesh
West Bengal
Population (2001)
1,536,417
1,340,031
3,191,822
Population density (inhab./ km2)
386
586
464
Total land area (km2)
4,072
2,212
6,936
Number of blocks
4
8
22
Climate
Tropical steppe
Tropical monsoon
Average annual rainfall
400-500 mm
700-900mm
1,400-1,600mm
Agro ecological characteristic
Arid and semi-arid
Semi-Arid
Sub-humid
Major livestock
Buffaloes, camel, sheep
Cows, buffaloes, goats
Oxen, goats and sheep
Major crops grown
Cotton, paddy, guar and pearl millet in Kharif*;
Wheat, potatoes, mustard in Rabi*;
Paddy, pearl millet and vegetables in Kharif; Wheat in Rabi
Paddy and vegetables in Kharif; Vegetables in Rabi
Water sources for cultivation
Canal and Tubewell
Canal and Tubewell
Rainfed and Tubewell
Major Rivers
No Rivers
Chambal, Yamuna and Kuvari
Damodar, Dwarakeswar, Silabati and Kasai
* Kharif = monsoon season
Rabi = winter (dry) season
Case study sites
We have sampled two or three representative case study villages in one district of each state: Hisar District in Haryana, Etawah District in Uttar Pradesh and Bankura District in West Bengal. Basic data collected during the census survey are presented in the table below.
Village
Chatinbaid
Jhagradihi
Lakhipur
Udaypur
Chandanpur
Dadra
Pachdeoara
Basra
Mugalpura
District
Bankura
Bankura
Bankura
Bankura
Etawah
Etawah
Etawah
Hisar
Hisar
Nb households (hh)
95
18
119
63
165
142
47
262
373
Total population (inhabitants)
509
112
593
307
1244
719
453
1396
2178
Average number of persons per hh
5.4
6.2
5.0
4.9
7.5
5.1
9.6
5.3
5.8
Number of castes
2
2
2
2
16
7
4
9
8
% landless
22.1
5
6.7
14.3
17.6
28.2
21.3
26.7
44.2
% hh engaged in non-farm work
89.5
88.9
94.1
71.4
50.9
78.9
6.4
8.8
17.2
% hh owning an ox
61.1
77.8
59.7
58.7
4.8
8.5
4.3
12.6
48.0
% hh owning a female buffalo
3.2
5.6
8.4
1.6
51.5
62.7
40.4
74.8
79.6
% hh selling milk
5.3
16.7
21.8
1.6
21.2
42.3
38.3
36.3
27.9
Water sources other than rain
River, ponds, dug wells
Ponds, happas, dug wells
River, ponds, happas, dug wells
Ponds, happas, dug wells
Canal, tubewells,
Tubewells
Canal, tubewells
Canal, tubewells,
Canal, tubewells
Source: census survey, 2009
 
Haryana – Hisar district (upper Ganga Plain):
The district of Hisar is a predominantly an agricultural district with a cultivable and sown area representing 90% and 78% of the total land area respectively.
The district can be divided in two physiographic and agro-climatic zones. The largest zone is a fluvial plain with a hot and dry climate and little available moisture (growing period around 60-90 days), including sandy pockets in the southwest. The second zone is a north eastern belt which falls under the Yamuna alluvial plain, characterised by a semi-arid climate and little to moderate available moisture (growing period around 90-120 days).

The two villages selected are located in each of the two agro-climatic zones: Mugalpura in the fluvial plain and Basra in the alluvial plain.

Location of the case study villages in Hisar District

 

Uttar Pradesh – Etawah district (Middle Ganga Plain) 

The district of Etawah is located on the banks of the river Yamuna and is a confluence site for the Chambal and Yamuna, the two tributaries of the Ganga River. The western boundary of the district falls under the Chambal valley, a ravine zone shared with the adjoining state of Madhya Pradesh. Three villages were selected: Chandanpur, Dadra and Pachdeoara. Pachdeoara and Chandanpur are located in Badhpura Block of Etawah Tehsil in the northwest part of the district, a fertile loamy canal fed zone. Dadra is located in Chakarnagar Block and Tehsil on the southwest part of district, a partly ravine-partly loamy area.

Location of the case study villages in Etawah District

West Bengal – Bankura District (Lower Ganga Plain)
 
Bankura is the fourth largest district of West Bengal and is classified as a backward district. The land area classified as cultivable represents only 18.3% of the total area.
Bankura district can be divided in two agro-climatic zones: the larger zone that dominates the eastern part of the district is characterised by an undulating topography and a lateritic soil, whereas an alluvial plain covers the eastern part, along the Damoda River. Despite of a high average annual rainfall, agriculture is greatly constrained by water scarcity as rain is concentrated during the monsoon season. Even during these months, dry spells frequently occur, sometimes severely hitting paddy transplantation. Soil fertility is low with a low organic carbon content and phosphate and easily prone to soil erosion.
The selected villages, Chatinbaid, Jhagradihi, Lakhipur and Udaipur, are located in Saltora block, the undulating area of Bankura, north of the district. This area is particularly poor and, despite a high average annual rainfall, suffers from water scarcity during the rabi season. The four villages are mostly inhabited by Santhal, the largest adivasi (indigenous) community in the Indian subcontinent. Other ethnic and social groups include the Kora and Hindu.

Location of the case study villages in Bankura District

 

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