Objectives: Iron ore mining was important economic activity in the district of Bellary, Karnataka, India. Airborne dusts from mining and ore transportation could affect agricultural productivity. It is hypothesized that dust arising into atmosphere from open pit Iron ore mining can reduce crop productivity. Objective of this study is to identify changes in agricultural productivity from environmental changes resulting due to airborne iron ore dusts in Bellary district.
Methods: Change in crop productivity is modeled by regressing crop productivity on fertilizer consumption, amount of rainfall, and on mining activity over the study period. Least Squares estimator with Heteroscedasticity consistent Whites estimates for covariances were calculated.
Findings: The results indicate predominantly significant differences in crop productivities during and after mining in case of Bajra, Jowar, Ragi, and Rice and Sunflower crops. In the case of Bajra, the productivity after cessation of mining is 1.61 times higher than during mining. Similarly, In case of rice, productivity after cessation of mining was 1.17 times that during mining. Ragi, and Sunflower also show similar trend in the changes in productivity.
Applications: Results from our model could be useful for improved crop protection measures and appropriate policy design. Relationships between yield and other covariates such as fertilizer levels could be utilized to optimize farmer revenues.