THE ECONOMICS OF TREE CROPS ON MARGINAL AGRICULTURAL LANDS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE HOT ARID REGION IN RAJASTHAN, INDIA

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Abstract
Falling yields of annual crops in the drought-prone hot arid region that forms 60% of the total area of Rajasthan and 64% of all land in this category in India have been compensated for by an increase in the area of cultivated land at the expense of grazing lands, forests and woodlands. Some 53% of the land in the region is now cultivated compared with the 21% which has been classified as suitable for raising annual crops. The result is a vicious circle of declining land productivity and more and more lands being cultivated, and consequent soil erosion, desertification, fuelwood shortages, and deteriorating livestock quality and productivity. Pressure on the marginal lands is further increased by scavenging for fuelwood and the rise in livestock numbers needed to compensate for the fall in productivity. This paper compares the net annual returns from the raising of annual crops and livestock, based on a survey of 70 farm households in 5 villages in 1977–78, with estimated returns from an alternative system involving the growing of pasture grasses and multi-purpose tree crops for the production of fodder, fuelwood, and small timber. Average net annual returns per hectare from the raising of annual crops were Rs. 108, Rs. –20 (including the pricing of family labour), and Rs. –6.5 (including also the returns from existing farm trees and bushes). The net returns for livestock raising averaged nearly Rs. 300 per adult cattle unit (including the pricing of family labour). By comparison, the estimated net annual returns from the silvo-pastoral system ranged from Rs. 360 to Rs. 3,270 per hectare, depending upon the species and felling cycle chosen (this would depend upon local requirements) and using a discount rate of 11 per cent. The 5 tree species considered in the study were Acacia tortilis, Albizia lebbeck, Prosopis cineraria, P. juliflora, and Zizyphus spp. Employment would also be boosted to between 30 and 75 man-days per hectare per year compared with the 26 man-days per hectare per year required for the raising of annual crops. A multiple-use silvo-pastoral system would thus appear to be attractive economically, in addition to the many ecological benefits that would also accrue.

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