ABSTRACT:
For effective planning and execution of conservation programs that sustain productivity, an attempt has been made to delineate India into 17 Soil Conservation Regions (SCRs). To demarcate the SCRs, attributes of soil (depth, texture, slope and erosion hazards) have been integrated on a land capability classification map, over which were superimposed the maps of annual rainfall, daily rainfall Erosion Index, and land use. SCR boundaries were further refined by superimposing a map of agroecological regions, which has a bias for maximizing plant production. The area for each SCR was finalized by using a catchment region map of the country to ensure that SCR boundaries align with the boundaries of the nearest natural watershed, sub-catchment, catchment, basin, or water resource region. Further delineation of SCRs into Soil Conservation Areas (SCAs) as the principal management unit, and micro-watershed areas called Soil Conservation Units (SCUs) also is discussed. Each SCU is about 1,500 to 2,000 ha (3,750 to 5,000 ac) in size on a scale of 1:50,000. Delineation of SCRs into SCAs and SCUs is based on predominant land use, production potential, crop evapotranspiration (ET) requirements, scope for development of water resources, prevailing erosion rates and conservation problems, population-supporting capacities, and technological innovations in a given area. Planning at the SCU level ultimately will pave the way for the creation of a nationwide Soil Conservation Service that can help maximize sustainable production.
Footnotes
M.S. Rama Mohan Rao is former director, S.C. Mohan and Pratap Narain are soil scientists, and V.N. Sharda, S.S. Shrimali and G. Sastry are engineering scientists for the Central Soil and Water Conservation Research and Training Institute in Dehradun; and I.P. Abrol is deputy director general (retired) for the Indian Council of Agricultural Research in New Delhi.
- Copyright 1999 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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