Boosting The Agricultural Output And Income Of Farmers: A Case Study Of Alandi Mr. Yogesh Suhas Kale Student Symbiosis Institute of Geoinformatics  Ms. Tejwant Kaur Student Symbiosis Institute of Geoinformatics  Mr. T. Senthil Student Symbiosis Institute of Geoinformatics  Ms. Kuhelee Chaterjee Student Symbiosis Institute of Geoinformatics Abstract Alandi, a township on the banks of Indrayani River, is situated 21 kms from Pune (Maharashtra) has agriculture as the main occupation. Basically, the farmlands are small, located close to the river. The area receives moderate rainfall (approx.700 mm). Land units being small, it provides farmers with a meager output, out of which some of the income is lost due to middlemen. The main crops grown here are vegetables, wheat, flowers and sugarcane. Modern farming is about optimizing agricultural production. For this it is necessary to acquire knowledge of the whereabouts of assets and demands, analyzing this information for enhancing further business opportunities. This is where GIS can be used. In case of Alandi, apart from the other agricultural benefits that GIS integrates water quality information, soil maps, crop and yield maps, etc. GIS could help in using various facts specific to Alandi, like: It being a pilgrimage place, draws lakhs of people annually thus demanding huge quantities of flowers. Its proximity to a huge market like Pune, “Dynamic logistic” center at Dighi (2kms from Alandi), upcoming International airport at Chakan can be utilized for exporting the flowers and vegetables, which have a small shelf life. GIS is used to compile the above mentioned factors for boosting the output, the trade, finding suitable markets, reducing the number of middlemen and thereby benefiting the farmer. Introduction: Agriculture is the mainstay of the villages in our country. Not only the economy, but also every one of us, directly or indirectly, looks up to agriculture for our sustenance too. The researchers in this field have been busy formulating methodologies and fabricating new implements for farming. It is here the challenge arises considering the implementation of the technology at various levels in the Global community. The need of the hour is not application of the technology but the adoption of appropriate technology, which would suit the particular level of the global community. In India, in many cases, the farming practices are too haphazard. To add to that, we have the problems with respect to small land holdings, heterogeneity of cropping systems and market imperfections, lack of technical expertise knowledge and technology (India spends only 0.3% of its agricultural Gross Domestic Product in Research and Development) and high cost. When land holdings are small and markets are unpredictable, Floriculture is an option that promises good revenues in short span of time, precondition being the appropriate management of the output. Flowers are in great demand because of various factors like their beauty, aesthetic sense, fragrance and decorational capability. Commercial floriculture has been of recent origin though the traditional flower cultivation has been going on for centuries. Emphasis has been shifting from traditional flowers to cut flowers for export purposes. Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana have emerged as major floriculture centers in recent times. At present the total area under floriculture cultivation is about 73,970 ha. With a production of 4.60 lakh tonnes of loose flowers and 1155 lakh (numbers) of cut flowers Exports of floriculture products valued at Rs.100 crores. With the growing competitiveness, floriculture units in India have been facing several constraints; especially the small farmers who have recently ventured into this field. However, with redressal of the problems, the industry may turn to be viable enterprise for earning foreign exchange. The objective of this paper is to explore the capabilities of GIS in finding suitable facilities for floriculture in the study area and visualization of the facilities around. Study Area: Location: Alandi is a town situated on the banks of Indrayani river at 18° 67’ 26.8 North Latitude and 73° 91’30 East Longitude. It is located at a distance of 22 kms from North East of Pune, 25 km from Rajgurunagar Tehsil head quarter of Khed Taluka and 10 km from Pimpri industrial area. The area covered by Alandi Municipal is 273.15 Hectares in its jurisdiction and comprises of twenty wards. Climate, rainfall and soil: The town is situated to the East of the Sahyadri mountains in the rain shadow area due to which rainfall is low. The temperature ranges from 37.9°C as maximum in the month of April to 12°C as minimum in the months of December and January. It is comparatively dry place where average rainfall is 603 mm. Monsoon season is experienced by this town in the months of June – September with maximum rainfall reaching to 147 mm in the month of July. Monthly average humidity prevailing in Alandi varies from 20% in the month of March to 85% in August. The soil quality in Alandi is medium. There are no ‘bagayat’ lands in the town. There is a hill in the Municipal area limits towards South West of the town and situated in revenue village Charholi. The hill is without any vegetation Land use Classification:  In order to achieve the desired result, a step-by-step procedure as given below is adopted. Data collection:
 Large section of the town’s land is used for agricultural activities – 196.79 hectares out of the total 273.15 hectares. Major agricultural fields are located South and West side of the Indrayani river and along the roads leading to Chakan, Vadgaon, Bhoshi, Solu and Charholi. Most of the farmers are small farmers with small land units. The major traditional crops that are grown include wheat, sugarcane, bajra and groundnuts along with vegetables. A large number of these small farmers are now involved in floriculture. The flowers grown mainly in the open (on land) include Aster, Chrysanthemum and Mary gold. Medium type of black soil has proved suitable for the abundant growth of these flowers. The climatic conditions are favorable for a major part of the year, except for March, April and May, when immense heat adversely affects the growth of plants. Open type category flowers are not affected much by diseases and minimal of pesticides are sprayed. The flowers require large quantities of water, which are being provided every 3rd or 4th day. Water is being supplied from the wells, bore wells and through the “co-operative water lift scheme” in the areas close to the river. In order to cater to the water needs of the local population in dry season when the river dries, the municipal corporation has constructed a bund across the river, an elevated service reservoir of 4,50,000 lts capacity and four ground level reservoir of 1,00,000 lts capacity. The power is well provided to the town by M.S.E.B through various erected sub- stations. The first produce is obtained 3 months after plantation. There are no co-operative societies formed for selling the output and the farmers sell their produce to the middlemen, who transport as well as sell the flowers to the markets, they find suitable. The farmers are earning approximately Rs.50,000/- per acre in one season which is more than from any traditional crop grown in that area. The local Alandi market is not a preferred market choice because of less revenue generated. The second type of floriculture practiced there is the “Controlled” type in which Polyhouses are created for the growth of flowers in controlled conditions. Many young, educated farmers are adopting this technique. The flowers grown using this method include Gerbera, Carnations and Gladioli. The farmers contact the concerned local agencies who first level the land in case it is a water- logged area, after which the closed fiber glass structure is built. The elevated bunds are created using red soil (which was generally brought from the nearby Purandar Taluka) and then plants from companies such as B&B German Agro, Sharp Agro, Kumar Florists, Space Agro are planted carefully. In case of Gerbera, 6,000 to 7,000 saplings were used in an area of 7,000 sq.ft. Whereas, in case of Carnations, about 20,000 saplings are planted in an area of 10,000 sq.ft. Drip irrigation is being used to provide water to plants, hence saving immense quantity of water. These plants are highly susceptible to various diseases and are being sprayed with appropriate quantities of pesticides like Febulan-combi2, EDTA, Thiovit (sulphur sodium salt), etc., every 4th day. Every week, manure in the form of cow dung is being added. The temperature monitoring is done thoroughly and water sprayed as well as double curtains drawn, in case the temperature rose above 35° centigrade.  The Polyhouses were given a 2 years guarantee and the costs incurred in case of the Gerbera projects were about Rs.8,50,000/- including the Rs.20/- per plant cost. The output was approximately 1500 flowers every alternate day, which was being sold to the market through the middlemen at the cost of Rs.5/- per flower to Rs.10/- per flower during the peak seasons of Ganesh festivals. The farmers received payment every week after their stipulated lot of flowers was sold in the market. No co-operatives existed and neither was there any enthusiasm or knowledge regarding the most suitable market. The farmers were fully relying on the middlemen and that to for good reason that the wholesalers did not prefer to buy from individual farmers. The quantity and quality of Gerberas grown was not suitable for export; shorter stems, shelf life of 6 to 7 days and unavailability of cold storage and cutting facilities being the major reasons. The Carnation projects appeared more promising due to the very fact that a co-operative of 50 carnation growing farmers was formed. Every farmer had to pay Rs.20,000/- lifetime fee for entering the group. The cost incurred for the projects was about Rs.10,00,000/- including each sapling’s cost of Rs7/- in case of local make and Rs.14/- per sapling in case of plants imported from Holland. The outputs in this case too were about 1500 flowers every alternate day, which were sold at the rate of Rs.7/- to Rs.14/- per flower. Different varieties such as Kiro, Pink Dover, Exotica and Solar were grown. The highlight was that apart from being sold in the local markets of India, these flowers were also being exported to Australia, thanks to the co-operative formed. The sad part was that there too the farmers were at the mercy of the middlemen for selling their produce, paid a whopping 15% commission (10% brokerage + 5%Transportation cost) and were unclear about the market situation. Revenue enhancement through facilities: Optimum utilization of the available facilities and providing a few more basic facilities would definitely improve the income of farmers in Alandi. Transportation network and Markets: The town is very well connected to Tehsil head quarters as well as District Head quarters by a Pune – Chakan Road (a major District Road). Being a pilgrimage centre all hinter lands are well connected to it. The town is connected to National highway No: 50 and is well connected with M.D.R. Alandi is merely 10 km away from Pimpri, a big market for Aster, Chrysanthemum and Mary gold, and a location en-route Mumbai, via the Expressway. “Market Yard” in Pune is located at a distance of 25 km and is the largest market for all the flowers. The increasing standard of living of people in Pune, the ever increasing presence of youth, their love for flowers, festivities, places of worship, corporates, are all attracting the growth of flowers. A single Gerbera or Carnation flower is sold at a price of Rs.15/- to Rs.20/- at the florists in Pune. This market thus should be targeted. The airport at Pune is now facilitating international flights to Saudi Arabia and Singapore. Alandi being well connected to this airport, this is a golden opportunity, especially for Gerbera and Carnation growing farmers to export their flowers to these international markets. The proposed international airport at Chakan, which is very close to Alandi, would provide full fledged access to the ever growing international flower markets. Logistics: A huge inland container depot, “Dynamic Logistics”, is situated merely 5 km from Alandi. The shelf life of Gerbera and Carnations is about 6 to 8 days after being cut. A cold storage facility could be made available here to preserve the flowers before they are loaded into containers and transported to other states or exported outside India. Formation of Co-operatives: The already existing “co-operative water lift scheme”, could be extended into a full fledged co-operative to provide information about crops and markets. Financial assistance could be provided to the farmers to start Polyhouses, facilitate collective farming, afford the use of Logistics thus increasing the produce and facilitating exports. Conclusions: Small land holdings, unpredictable markets and lack of knowledge, non scientific farming practices do reduce the revenue of the farmers drastically. Analyzing as well as utilizing the available facilities, exploiting the strategic location of the study area and locating the appropriate markets easily would definitely enhance the output and revenue of the farmers in Alandi. 
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