Impact of shelterbelts on net returns from agricultural production in arid western Rajasthan

The shelterbelt is considered to be the most important technology to minimize erosion hazards of speedy winds and optimize agricultural production. The introduction of Indira Gandhi Nahar Pariyojna (IGNP) and development of tubewells covering 50,000 ha area in Lathi series have prospected to provide assured irrigation facilities. In this paper, the impact of shelterbelt on agricultural returns has been studied. Since land allotment in IGNP was made on the basis of ‘MURBA’, which is equivalent to 5 ha, it was considered as farm unit in this study. The primary data have been collected from 80 farmers each from shelterbelt and non-shelterbelt, selected randomly from tubewell and canal command area of IGNP Phase –II in Mohangarh tehsil of Jaisalmer district. Separate production functions have been estimated for shelterbelt and non-shelterbelt farmers to decompose total change in net returns. The study has revealed 430.8 per cent increase in net returns due to shelterbelt plantation, in which shelterbelt technology has contributed 399.4 per cent and 31.4 per cent has been due to increase in use of complementary inputs. Out of 399.4 per cent, shelterbelt itself has accounted for 305.6 per cent, i.e. by shifting from non- shelterbelt to shelterbelt and remaining 93.8 per cent at the level of inputs used by non-shelterbelt which might be due to improvement in soil properties.