Ecological Sustainability of Rainfed Agriculture: An Empirical Study of a Tribal District

Abstract

Agriculture in developing countries is facing serious environmental conflict. The problem is severe in plateau and hilly areas. The neglect of agriculture and the effort of modernization through industrialization of national economies have posed serious problem to agricultural ecosystem and its sustainable growth. In this paper an attempt is made to examine ecological sustainability of agriculture in a triabl rainfed district, which might be helpful for researcher, planner, policy maker and development worker for regional level planning and analysis. It is found that, in last 15 years, almost half of the years have received below average rainfall. The low rainfall seriously affects the agricultural ecosystem in the region, creating a recurring drought condition, which affects net cultivated area, low irrigation intensity, lower production and productivity, lower level of input use, lower level of employment and per capita food availability. The per capita food availability per annum has drastically decreased in a decade from 248.7 to 64.3 kg, which is sufficient only for 104 days in a year. The situation is alarming and need serious attention by researcher, planner and policy makers.