Participatory agro-eco system analysis

Participatory agro-eco-system analysis is a bottom up approach to analyse loca tion specific problems and remedies concerning development of agriculture and allied fields. Agro-eco-system analysis is a study of properties with pattern analysis of space, time, flows and relationship, relative values and decisions. In order to achieve self sufficiency and sustainability in diversified complex agriculture, target group are ex pected to participate in development of indigenous resources. It provides information about resource availability, present practices, interaction within and among other enter prises. This approach harmonizes indigenous technical knowledge (ITK) with exogenously developed innovations under diverse micro-environments. In fact, there is, now, growing realisation that generation, dissemination, and adoption of agricultural technologies can not be taken in isolation. Agro-eco-system analysis is specifically more relevant to hills and mountains representing rapid changes in micro-situations over short distances, geo logical fragility, marginality, inaccessibility, high risk, low pay off and overall complex and diverse resources. Accordingly, a case study was taken up in four villages of Raipur Block, district Dehradun under the Institute Village Linkage Programme of Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

Based on Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) a multidisciplinary team of scien tists gathered preliminary information and established rapport with the local community. Spatial patterns of existing resource distribution were mapped by working jointly and after verification through transect walks. Soil of the project area was gravelly, spatially variable, undulating, eroded, rainfed and poor in fertility status. About 57 per cent land is under reserve forest and 20 per cent is net sown area Village enterprise is predomi nantly livestock production followed by agricultural labour, services, petty shops and flour mills, etc. Trend analysis brought out significant changes during the short span of 1960 to 1996. Coarse grains like mandua and maize got replaced by better quality crops of paddy and wheat. Human and livestock population increased four times with tremen dous improvement in farmers' education. However, there was 90 per cent depletion in the forest resources.

Historical time line analysis of discussions with elderly villagers revealed impor tant phases in the evolution of village set up, established baseline for impact analysis and replaced mistrust by mutual confidence Depending on seasonality and the cro calendar, there was well defined migration pattern of the farm labour. Inspite of average annual rainfall of 1700 mm, lack of irriga tion water and in situ moisture conservation identified important farming practices. Interestingly, matrix ranking process of scoring by the villagers brought out a strong preferences for wheat, maize and paddy in almost all the four villages. Priorities and preferences for fruit, fodder and fuelwood species were quite variable from village to village as per their economic need. Elaboration of Venn diagrams depicted availability and greater importance of institutions like irrigation, soil conservation and horticultural departments in providing services to the community. Socio-economic and bio-physical factors for low production of wheat, pulses, paddy, maize, horticulture, fodder and poor Socio-economic conditions were elaborated in the form of problem -cause- diagrams. Livelihood analysis revealed the behaviour and adjustment strategies of farm families in different socio-economic situations. Wealth ranking of farmers was analysed by using criteria of family income. Apart from child rearing, care for aged members of the family and house keeping. women perform almost all farm operations except ploughing. Collection of fuelwood and fodder from the forest further added to their drudgery. Women's empowerment in the project is an essential component of integrated social development, decision making and real growth of community with social justice.