Farm Diversification in Haryana, India: Case Studies

In the late 1960s, the Green Revolution enabled India to overcome a severe food shortage and achieve food grain self-sufficiency, particularly in the case of wheat and paddy. Continuous mono cropping system threatens the sustainability of future agricultural production in terms of soil, water, climate and market parameters which warrants a diversified farming system enabling farmers to use their resources efficiently with its ecological benefits. Recent trends in crop farming witnessed a multifold shift towards paddy and wheat specialization in Haryana. So farm diversification is an important strategy to maintain the sustainability of state agriculture. The present study was undertaken to explore the potential of farm diversification in Haryana. Case studies were conducted among selected farmers from the three districts representing three agro ecological zones of Haryana (Kaithal from AEZ1, Hisar from AEZ2 and Bhiwani from AEZ3). The case study included parameters like area and number of enterprises and cost details and net returns from each diversified enterprise. The study concludes that, various methods utilized by the successful farmers specialized in a particular venture serve as the model for fellow farmers who are similarly interested in the same experience. Subsidies, incentives and training programmes of government agencies promoted the farmers to get involved in the allied enterprises. This study highlights the need for incentives and training programmes for further promoting farm diversification in the state.