Status and Impact of Protected Cultivation in Himachal Pradesh, India

The state of Himachal Pradesh is almost wholly mountainous with the altitude ranging from 350 to 6975 m above the mean sea level with its economy largely dependent on agriculture. Further, the state is constrained with small land holdings (avg. size 1.04 ha), as majority of the farmers belong to the marginal and small category (87%). The use of polyhouses has played a vital role not only in overcoming the vagaries of nature, but also have triggered diversification to vegetable crops of high value. In the present study, productivity of cash crops especially vegetables, employment generation, analysis of income and socioeconomic status of small and marginal farmers were assessed, in addition to the saving in inputs, if any, through adoption of precision farming techniques. Considering that only 223.18 ha of area had been brought under protected cultivation, a significant increase in productivity was observed. It also created 4.95 lakh man days of employment (at farmers' and service provider's level), thereby giving additional income to the farmers and their families. The thrust on protected cultivation of vegetables in addition to use of better varieties, better management practices, etc. have played a significant role in the productivity enhancement of cash crops in Himachal Pradesh.