Diversification of Agriculture for Enhancing Income and Employment Opportunities in Uttarakhand

By : G. S. Mehta , Tulsi Mehta

Page No: 160-171

Abstract 
It has been well recognized that undertaking traditional form of farming operations is neither in a position to create additional employment opportunities for increasing labour force nor to sustain the livelihood of farming households due to increasing fragmentation of arable land and its decreasing quality and depletion of various natural resources supporting to agricultural productivity in the hilly areas of Uttarakhand. Carrying out large-scale diversification and modernization of economic system by way of initiating industrialization to overcome from such problems is also restricted by certain environmental and ecological constraints. In such situations, initiating agricultural diversification through minimizing the use of land under the traditional low value food crops and its subsequent shift into the production of various high value crops and market oriented non-food crops such as fruits, off-season vegetables, oilseeds and spices, thereby to maximize per hectare and per household income are favourably available in its different areas. Both per hectare productivity and the value of net income being originated from the production every high value crop, especially most market-oriented crops such as fruits and off-season vegetables, has witnessed remarkably manifold higher as compared to opting the farming of various traditional crops. In fact the elasticity of providing gainful employment opportunities with fairly larger per worker productivity and earnings have been well recognized in opting to confine on farming of former categories of crops as compared to latter one. The examination of above highlighted arguments are based on the analysis of primary data collected among a sample of 974 farm households located in different geographical locations,i.e, high, middle and low hill areas of two most agriculturally diversified districts of Pauri and Nainital in the state.

Authors :
G. S. Mehta : Professor, Giri Institute of Development Studies, Lucknow,
Tulsi Mehta : Lecturer in Applied Economics, I.T. College Lucknow.