Telangana Becomes First State in India to Implement Crop Diversification Index
What is the news:
- Telangana turned out to be the first state in India to adopt the Crop Diversification Index (CDI) by way of recording their crop diversification pattern in the form of an index.
- According to the CDI, Telangana grows 77 varieties of crops, out of which only 10 crops (mostly grains) are chosen for crop diversification.
- The districts of Nirmal, Vikarabad, and Sangareddy emerge as the most diverse, ranking in the top 3 in the state.
- The least diversified districts (bottom 3) in the state in terms of crop diversification would be Peddapalli, Karimnagar, and Suryapet, where paddy is the most cultivated crop, showing a decrease in the cropping areas of maize and an increase in the cropping areas of cotton.
About Crop Diversification Index (CDI):
- All the areas under the 77 different crops, which include food, non-food, and cash crops, as well as the areas under floriculture practices, have been considered to calculate the index.
The index has a starting value of ONE representing the percentage of total cultivated area devoted to a single crop. - Many districts in the state have index values ranging from 0 to 5, and the higher the value, the greater the agricultural diversification.
- The index would serve as the baseline for future crop diversification in the state.
Next to paddy and maize, which are the traditionally grown crops in the state, pulses were the most preferred crops by the farmers.
 What is crop diversification:
Crop diversification refers to the addition of new crops or cropping systems to agricultural production on a particular farm taking into account the different returns from value- added crops with complementary marketing opportunities.
- Cropping System:It refers to the crops, crop sequences and management techniques used on a particular agricultural field over a period of years.
- Types:Major cropping systems in India are sequential-cropping, monocropping, intercropping, relay Cropping, mixed-cropping and alley cropping.
- Many farmers also use the mixed crop-livestock systemto increase their standards of living and income.
- Animal husbandry or Animal Agriculture is the branch of science dealing with the practice of breeding, farming and care of farm animals (livestocks)such as cattle, dogs, sheep and horses by humans for advantages.
- It refers to livestock raising and selective breeding.It is a branch of agriculture.
Benefits:
- Increase Income on Small Land Holding:
- At present, 70-80% farmers have land below 2 hectare.To overcome this, existing cropping patterns must be diversified with high value crops such as maize, pulses, etc.
- The Government of Haryana has also supported this by announcing that farmers switching to other alternate crops instead of paddy will be paid Rs. 7000 per acre incentive (Mera Pani – Meri VirasatScheme).
Economic Stability:
- Crop diversification can better tolerate the ups and downs in price of various farm productsand it may ensure economic stability of farming products.
- Mitigating Natural Calamities:
- Sudden adverse weather conditions like erratic rainfall, drought, hail, incidence of insect and pest disease. Under this situation,crop diversification through mixed cropping may be useful.
Balance Food Demand:
- Most of the Indian population suffers from Most of the girl children have anemia. Including crops like pulses, oilseed, horticulture, and vegetable crops can improve socio economic status by adding quality to the food basket and also improve soil health with the aim of food safety and nutritional security.
- The Government of India has now targeted to increase the area under pulses and oilseeds through National Food Security Mission (NFSM).
Conservation:
- Adoption of crop diversification helps in conservation of natural resources like introduction of legume in rice-wheat cropping system,which has the ability to fix atmospheric Nitrogen to help sustain soil fertility.
- Soil Health Card(SHC) provides information to farmers on nutrient status of their soil along with recommendations on appropriate dosage of nutrients to be applied for improving soil health and its fertility.
- Challenges:
- Majority cropped area in the country is completely dependent on rainfall.
- Sub-optimal and over-use of resourceslike land and water resources, causing a negative impact on the environment and sustainability of agriculture.
- Animal agricultureis the second largest contributor to human-made Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions after fossil fuels and is a leading cause of deforestation, water and air pollution and biodiversity loss.
- Inadequate supply of seeds and plantsof improved cultivars.
- Fragmentation of land holding less favouring modernization and mechanization of agriculture.
- Poor basic infrastructurelike rural roads, power, transport, communications etc.
- Inadequate post-harvest technologies and inadequate infrastructure for post-harvest handlingof perishable horticultural produce.
- Very weak agro-based industry.
- Weak research – extension – farmer linkages.
- Inadequately trained human resourcestogether with persistent and large scale illiteracy amongst farmers.
- Host of diseases and pestsaffecting most crop plants.
- Poor databasefor horticultural crops.
- Decreased investments in the agricultural sectorover the years.
About Telangana :
- Telangana is the 29th state of India, formed on the 2nd of June 2014.
- Capital – Hyderabad
- Chief Minister – Chandrashekar Rao ( Party – Telangana Rashtra Samithi)
- Governor – Tamilisai Soundararajan (also current Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry)
National Park of telanagana :
- Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park
- Mahaveer Harina Vanasthali National Park
- Mrugavani National Park
Wildlife sanctuaries:
- Wildlife Sanctuaries in Telangana include
- Eturunagaram Wildlife Sanctuary and Pakhal Wildlife Sanctuary in Warangal District,
- Kawal Tiger Reserve and Pranahita Wildlife Sanctuary in Adilabad district,
- Kinnerasani Wildlife Sanctuary in Khammam district,
- Manjira Wildlife Sanctuary in Medak district,
- Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve in Nalgonda and Mahbubnagar districts,
- Pocharam Wildlife Sanctuary in Medak and Nizamabad districts,
- Shivaram Wildlife Sanctuary in Karimnagar district.
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