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Farming in the hills goes hand in hand with forestry and animal husbandry. The fact that the key to the survival of the hill society has been their ‘traditional knowledge system’ is worth a mention here right in the beginning. The statement is true in the context of all realms of life in the hills and especially in cropping, forestry and health. It has not only ensured continuous livelihood of farm households but also ecological sustainability.
The Present Scenario
For the primarily rural population of the Kumaon region, situated in the central expanse of the Great Himalayas, agriculture and animal husbandry are the primary occupations. Farmers in Kumaon either practice subsistence agriculture or apply synthetic fertilizers and other agrochemicals that degrade local eco-systems to reach commercial scale. Limited opportunities for employment and income generation in subsistence agriculture and other conventional forms of agriculture are tilting the scales in favor of commercial farming. But still the region has been witnessing declining yields because of the rapid migration from the rural mountain regions of Kumaon towards urban centers of India.
The Potential
Although subsistence farming still remains peoples’ main source of livelihood, but it will be myopic on our part if we see this fact in isolation. The Kumaon region now hosts a small but growing cadre of certified farmers practicing organic horticulture. With improving soil conditions leading to trees bearing organic fruits and a thriving organic vegetable sector, the Kumaon region has been quite successful in adding newer dimensions to its economy. With the sale of certified organic fruits and vegetables growing at a fast pace and the number of consumers in urban markets like New Delhi growing by the day, the future of organic farming and cultivation looks promising. The fact that these consumers have shown keen interest in the commercial agriculture sector of Kumaon and are even willing to pay a premium for certified organic food from the Himalayan region stands testimony to the sector’s potential success.
Hurdles in the Progress of Commercial Farming in Kumaon
The nature of the market
The seasonal nature of the fresh organic fruits and vegetables market of Kumaon proves to be a hindrance in its growth. Some even say that the produce only ‘looks’ good.
The treacherous middlemen
With the middlemen gobbling up a major part of the profit by paying a low price to the certified organic farmers for their produce and selling the fruits and vegetables in the urban retail markets at significantly high prices with big profit margins, the sector has quite a few hurdles to cross before it is able to realize its full potential.
Lack of Able Entrepreneurship
Even when the market for processed certified organic produce from the Himalayas is expanding rapidly, the entrepreneurs from the region haven’t been able to setup micro-scale processing units. Some of the reasons for this have been lack of capital and shrewd management skills besides the lack of uninterrupted electricity. Some of the amazing facts are that the cost of setting up micro-scale processing ventures for organic produce in the region is far below that in a place like New Delhi and, along with that, the units can offer a large number of off-farm rural employment opportunities, profitable contracts. The processing units also provide the possibility of making the most out of even the damaged and/or deformed produce.
The Silver Lining
The state government of Uttarakhand has been actively promoting organic farming and arranging for certification of micro-scale organic farms for quite a while now, so that the population, in general, and the rural farmers of the Kumaon region, in particular, gain access to newer pathways for income generation that are sustainable over a long period of time.
To conclude
The agriculture scenario in the region is promising and has a bright future provided the hurdles are overcome with co-operation between the local people and the government. But more-or-less, it would, in no measure, be an exaggeration to say that the agriculture sector in Kumaon has only one way to go from here, the way up!
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