Off-season vegetable cultivation is a lucrative farming option in Himachal Pradesh. However, lack of irrigation facilities has emerged as the major bottleneck for the expansion of area under off-season vegetable cultivation. Rainwater harvesting remains only feasible option to meet out the minimal irrigation needs of the crops. Various rainwater harvesting mechanisms were tried in NWDPRA funded project and successful ones were demonstrated to the farmers in Sarahan watershed in district Sirmour of Himachal Pradesh. By adopting the tomato-garlic crop rotation, the farmers of the watershed could earn up to Rs. 2.50 lakh ha−1 annum−1. With the construction of tanks in the fields itself, the drudgery of farming families in transporting the irrigation water reduced considerably. Comparison on various parameters have shown that silpaulin tanks are most suitable for hilly conditions as they can be constructed with lower initial cost and also offered flexibility on maintenance and longevity aspects. Therefore, rainwater harvesting can become effective technology for uplifting the socio-economic conditions of the hilly population.
Off-season vegetables, Rain water harvesting, Silpaulin lined tanks
