Farming in Uttaranchal

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1 Location and Geography
2 Land, Soils and Climate
3 Agriculture and Crops Grown
4 Agriculture Trade & Economy
5 Reference
Location and Geography
Uttarakhand is located in the northern part of India and has a total geographic area of 51,125 sq
kms. It is one of the most beautiful and religious place in India whose charm was rediscovered
by the British officers. The co-ordinates of Uttarakhand are 28 C 43' N to 31 C 27' N (Latitude)
and 77o C 34' E to 81o C 02' E (Longitude). Almost the entire region of Uttaranchal is covered
by mountains (approximately 93%) and forests show up on about 64% of the mountains. The
great Himalayan Mountains Range makes up a greater part the state with the Upper Himalayas
covered by the high Himalayan peaks and glaciers and the Lower Himalayas with Pine and
Cedar trees.
The Nanda Devi mountain peak at Chamoli district is the highest point in the state of
Uttarakhand at 7,817 m above sea level. The region has many glaciers, passes, meadows, and
trekking routes with several major rivers and tributaries like the Ganga, Yamuna, Alaknanda and
Mandakini originating from here. A most important part of this Himalayan state comes under
rainforests and alpine forests that are home to some of the highly scarce wildlife species listed in
the Red list of IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). Uttaranchal is adjoined
by Nepal in the East, China in the North, Himachal Pradesh in the west and U.P. in the South.
Uttarakhand is unofficially divided into the regions of Garhwal and Kumaon to branch out the
linguistic and geographical differences in the area. Many national parks and sanctuaries are
located Uttarakhand such as the Jim Corbett National Park (the oldest national park of India),
Valley of Flowers National Park, Nanda Devi National Park, Rajaji National Park, Govind Pashu
Vihar National Park and Gangotri National Park.1 (See the map also - http://g.co/maps/d7u4e)
Land, Soils and Climate
Land: Uttarakhand has a highly varied topography, with snowcovered peaks, glaciers, deep
canyons,roaring streams, beautiful lakes, and a few patches of dusty plains in the south. Some of
the highest mountains in the world are found in Uttarakhand. Most notably, these include Nanda
Devi (25,646 feet [7,817 metres]), which is the second highest peak in India, Kamet (25,446 feet
[7,756 metres]), and Badrinath (23,420 feet [7,138 metres]).
Uttarakhand can be divided into several physiographic zones, all running parallel to each other
from northwest to southeast. The northern zone, popularly known as the Himadri, contains
segments of the Zaskar and the Great Himalaya ranges, with elevations ranging roughly from
10,000 to 25,000 feet (3,000 to 7,600 metres). Most of the major peaks are located in this zone.
Adjacent to and south of the Great Himalayas is a zone containing the Lesser Himalayas, known
popularly as the Himachal, with elevations between about 6,500 and 10,000 feet (2,000 to 3,000
metres); the zone has two linear rangesthe Mussoorie and the Nag Tibba. To the south of the
Himachal is a stretch of the Siwalik Range. The entire area containing the Himadri, the
Himachal,and the Siwaliks is broadly known as the Kumaun Himalayas. The southern edge of
the Siwalik Range merges with a narrow bed of gravel and alluvium known as the Bhabar, which
interfaces to the southeast with the marshy terrain known as the Tarai. The combined
SiwalikBhabarTarai area ranges in elevation from 1,000 to 10,000 feet (300 to 3,000 metres).
South of the Siwaliks are found flatfloored depressions, known locally as duns, such as the
Dehra Dun.
The state is drained by various rivers of the Ganges (Ganga) system. The westernmost watershed
is formed by the Yamuna River and its major tributary, the Tons. The land to the east of this
basin is drained by the Bhagirathi and the Alaknandawhich join to form the Ganges at the
town of Devaprayagand the Mandakini, Pindar, and Dhauliganga, all principal tributaries of
the Alaknanda. To the east again are the southwardflowing Ramganga and Kosi rivers, and
draining to the southeast in the same region are the Sarju and Goriganga, both of which join the
Kali at Uttarakhands eastern border with Nepal.
Soils: Uttarakhand has various types of soil, all of which are susceptible to soil erosion. In the
north, the soil ranges from gravel (debris from glaciers) to stiff clay. Brown forest soiloften
shallow, gravelly, and rich in organic contentis found farther to the south. The Bhabar area is
characterized by soils that are coarsetextured, sandy to gravelly, highly porous, and largely
infertile. In the extreme southeastern part of the state, the Tarai soils are mostly rich, clayey
loams, mixed to varying degrees with fine sand and humus; they are well suited to the cultivation
of rice and sugarcane. Climate The climate of Uttarakhand is temperate, marked by seasonal
variations in temperature but also affected by tropical monsoons. January is the coldest month,
with daily high temperatures averaging below freezing in the north and near 70 F (21 C) in the
southeast. In the north, July is the hottest month, with temperatures typically rising from the
mid40s F (about 7 C) to about 70 F daily. In the southeast, May is the warmest month, with
daily temperatures normally reaching the low 100s F (about 38 C) from a low around 80 F (27
C). Most of the states roughly 60 inches (1,500 mm) of annual precipitation is brought by the
southwest monsoon, which blows from July through September. Floods and landslides are
problems during the rainy season in the lower stretches of the valleys. In the northern parts of the
state, 10 to 15 feet (3 to 5 metres) of snowfall is common between December and March.
2

Agriculture and Crops Grown
Agriculture in Uttarakhand is broadly defined to cover all land based activities such as Cropping,
Animal Husbandry, horticulture, Forestry and their linkages and support system and prime
source of sustenance for the most mountain communities.
Five major farming systems are prevalent namely
1. Cereal based production system
2. Horticulture or agri horti based production system
3. Vegetables, Floriculture based production system
4. Livestock based production system
5. Agri horti silvi Pastoral based production system
Agriculture is the main livelihood activity of all the hill districts. Since most of the land is under
forest cover, there is very little land available for agriculture. The state has just 13.29% (2008-
09) of the total land under cultivation while about 65% of population depends on agriculture for
their livelihood. Further, agriculture is largely rain-fed, irrigation facilities are minimal, and land
holdings are small and fragmented. Despite these, some hill districts have already diversified into
alternative farm-based activities like cultivation of fruits and vegetables, aromatic and medicinal
plants and some have also tried to extract the potential of animal husbandry (dairy and poultry).
The cropping pattern of the hill districts is mainly based on traditional agriculture. In the hill
districts, rice, wheat, mandwa, and sanwa remain the main crops with the maximum area under
cultivation. Production is mainly for self-consumption and distribution in village markets.
3

Agriculture Trade & Economy
Uttarakhand is primarily an agricultural state although its share in the countrys total area and
production is very small. The contribution of agriculture to the states domestic product is about
22.4per cent and the population dependent on agriculture for their livelihood is about 75-85 per
cent. The development of the hills is primarily linked to the development of agriculture and its
allied activities. Since the hills are constrained in the development of large-scale
industrialization, and due to infrastructure constraints the development of the service sector is
also constrained, the growth and development of the agriculture sector remains the prime focus.
People in the hills have been primarily engaged in subsistence agriculture.
4

Reference
1. - Bharat online - http://goo.gl/EXADF
2. - Report by Jeywin - http://goo.gl/IXD8h
3. - Uttaranchal Forest website - http://goo.gl/vdkcM
4. - State Agriculture development plan - http://goo.gl/j4KXl
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