A Study on Environmental Sustainability Index of Vegetable Farming in Himachal Pradesh

Vegetable farming has paved new path of economic development in hilly states like Himachal Pradesh. Now farmers are capable of harvesting more monetary value per unit of land. Most of the farmers in the state have marginal land holding and traditional agriculture could not sustain farming community in geographically isolated hills. New dimensions added to hill agriculture has also brought new challenges and now it become concern whether these changes are ecologically viable? what is the level of environmental sustainability, and how it can be improved? To answer all these questions present study was conducted in Himachal Pradesh with the objectives of; developing sustainability index for vegetable farming; to establish relationship between various socio-economic variables with environmental sustainability of vegetable farms and to find effect of group action on environmental sustainability. Study reveal that majority of farms of SHG members were moderately sustainable to sustainable and of non-member majority of vegetable farms found in least sustainable to moderately sustainable. Thus, group action in the form of SHGs can be considered as a holistic approach to increase environmental sustainability of vegetable farming in the state. Education status and extension contacts of the farmers found to have positive impact on environmental sustainability of vegetable farming in the state.

Introduction of new dimensions is threat to sustainability of hill agriculture.

Group activity at farm level improves sustainability of hill vegetable farms.