Vol.16. Nos.3 (2017) pp.115-138
Title:

Economic assessment of bamboo based soil conservation interventions for reclamation of degraded ravine lands: implication for policy intervention.

Authors:V C Pande, B K Rao, R S Kurothe, Gopal Kumar, V N Sharda, P K Mishra, P R Bhatnagar, D Dinesh

Abstract:The study attempted to assess the economic feasibility of bamboo plantation in general and its role as reinforcement to soil conservation measures in particular, with implications for reclamation of degraded lands in ravine ecologies in India. Biophysical data, both primary as well secondary, collected from Mahi ravines in Gujarat and supported with on farm research data were economically analyzed. The study suggested that the bamboo based soil conservation measures were financially as well as economically viable. The biophysical data collected from fields suggested the effectiveness of the bamboo based conservations measures in similar conditions elsewhere. The study recommends to replicate the interventions and give financial incentives to the group/ village community to meet the initial high cost of establishment. Such initiatives of ravine reclamation programme could be converged with land based schemes of central and state governments like MGNREGA, National Bamboo Mission, Green Climate Fund of NABARD or such similar schemes in India. The large-scale bamboo establishment costs could be partly met with assistance from such schemes and the remaining maintenance and protection costs of plantation could be met by the group/ village society towards environmental services provided by the locational bamboo ecosystems. The implications for large scale reclamation of degraded gullied lands in the country have been drawn based on the results

Keywords:Bamboo, soil conservation, economic assessment, ravine land, policy intervention

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