Page 71 - Agroforestry system - book inner (final corrected) - 9.-3-21_Neat

National level e-symposium on “Agroforestry system for augmenting livestock
productivity and empowering resource poor rural farmers”

is received during the monsoon months and its erratic distribution further necessitate suitable watershed
management interventions. A calendar year is generally divided into three main seasons viz. winter (October-
February), summer (March-June) and monsoon (July-September) with a brief spring (mid February-March)
and autumn (late September-October). Winter temperatures generally remain below 5°C and precipitation in
the form of both rainfall and snow result from the western depression. The cold wave sets the migration of the
nomadic shepherds to warmer valleys in the Himalayan foothills. Summer temperatures remain above 20°C
especially during April-June. The relative humidity remains about 40 per cent and the occasional hailstorms
are known to cause extensive crop damage especially to apple, plum, apricot and peach. Rainfall during this
period amounts to approximately 30 per cent of total annual rainfall. The Northern aspect receiving less
direct sun-shine and facing the snowline has consequently, lower temperatures and high moisture retention
which in turn create ideal agro-climatic conditions for the cultivation of temperate crops, especially fruit
crops. The southern and western aspects suffer high moisture loss since they receive more direct sunshine and
consequently they support a poor vegetation cover.

With horticulture occupying a prime position, the land use system can be defined as horti-agri-pastoral.
Forests account for about 25 per cent of the total geographic area of this zone and cover varies from thick to
sporadic. The chief species are Pinus wallichiana, Cedrus deodara, Juglans regia and Quercus sp.etc. varying
of course with altitude. The grasslands here are heavily grazed both by draught animals and by migratory
grazers. The grass cover comprises mainly of Themeda, Arundinella, Hamertheria, Heteropogon etc. and
the legume component is mainly made up of white clover (Trifolium repens). While traditional millets such
as Setaria italica, Panicum miliaceum, Paspalum scrobiculatum and Chenopodium album, etc. are fast
disappearing. Cash crops such as potato and apple form the backbone of the economy with apple alone
accounting for more than 78 per cent of the area under fruits. Pome and stone fruits are also grown in this
zone. It is estimated that this zone alone contributes 96 per cent of the total temperate fruit production in the
state. The traditional almost static farming has changed into a dynamic horticulture led system.
Livestock composition is dominated by small ruminants due to availability of larger ‘support’ area.
Cattle form the bulk of livestock rearing and are dependent on natural grass alone. Significantly, fodder is not
grown. Hay, collected from natural grasslands is the main source of livestock feed. The two major sources of
fodder supply are crop residues and fodder from common property resources like forests, permanent pastures
and grazing lands. Due to ever-increasing population pressure of human beings, arable land is mainly used
for food and cash crops, thus there is little chance of having good-quality arable land available for fodder
production, unless milk production becomes remunerative to the farmer as compared to other crops.

The socio-religious fabric of the people is interwoven to a very great extent with raising, caring for and
respecting trees. Trees are integrated extensively in the crop- and livestock-production systems of the region
according to the agro-climatic and other local conditions. Due to unavailability of green fodder, especially
during summer months, dairy farmers have been feeding animals a disproportionate amount of concentrate
to sustain growth in milk production. As per the study published in the Archives of Animal Nutrition in 2018,
“Feeding of concentrates is required during the early lactation period to meet the nutritional requirement
of milch animals. The concentrate feeding indeed increases milk production, but it also leads to rumen
acidosis and causes severe health problems in dairy cows”. Over the years, farmers of Himalayan region have

52 Institute of Animal Nutrition, Centre for Animal Production Studies, TANUVAS
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development