Factors Affecting Crop Production due to Land Degradation in Jhajjar District of Haryana

Harshit Bansal, Neeraj Pawar, Keshav Kumar, Rohtash Kumar, Ajay Singh and Bhupender

Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension, Economics & Sociology, 2024, vol. 42, issue 10, 7

Abstract: Land degradation, particularly through waterlogging and soil salinization, poses a significant threat to agricultural productivity, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. This study examined the economic impact of these issues on crop returns in Haryana, India, with a focus on Jhajjar district. The research assessed input utilization, crop yields, and profitability for Bajra and Mustard crops on both normal and degraded farms. Utilizing primary data from 60 farmers and employing tabular analysis and the Cobb-Douglas production function, the study found that soil salinity and waterlogging lead to significant reductions in crop productivity and profitability. For instance, Bajra yields on degraded farms resulted in lower gross returns and net profits compared to normal farms, primarily due to increased costs in field preparation and pest management. The Cobb-Douglas production function analysis further revealed that while fertilizers significantly enhance yields on normal farms, their effect is negative on degraded farms, likely due to over use of fertilizers. Mustard farming showed similar trends, with problematic farms incurring higher variable costs and achieving lower profitability. The study highlighted the urgent need for targeted policies to manage soil health and improve the economic outcomes of farming in degraded lands.

Keywords: Land; Economics/Use (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/368078/files/Kumar42102024AJAEES122899.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:ajaees:368078

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension, Economics & Sociology from Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension, Economics & Sociology
Bibliographic data for series maintained by AgEcon Search ().