Land Degradation, Overland Flow, Soil Erosion, and Nutrient Loss in the Eastern Himalayas, India

Abstract

Studies on the assessment of land degradation, overland flow, soil loss, and nutrient loss have emerged as paramount importance for food security and rural livelihood in the mountains. The present study dealt with similar issues in the Eastern Himalayas, for which the primary data were collected from the field during 2017–18. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to collect data on soil erosion and information on overland flow, soil loss, and nutrient loss was assessed through field experiments in the watershed of Sikkim, Eastern Himalayas. The first section of the methodology deals with the experimental analysis from different land use categories to quantify soil loss. In the second section, detailed qualitative analyses of farmers’ perceptions of soil erosion indicators were recorded through field surveys, i.e., key informant interviews (KEIs) and focus group discussions (FDGs). The results showed that the highest overland flow was in barren land (8.63%) followed by large cardamom-based agroforestry system (7.02%), and mixed cropping (4.84%), and the lowest overland flow was in terrace cultivation (4.69%). Soil loss was estimated to be the highest for barren land (7.73 Mg/ha/year (megagram/hectare/year)) followed by mixed cropping (4.32 Mg/ha/year), and terrace cultivation (3.75 Mg/ha/year), with the least soil loss estimated to be in cardamom-based agroforestry (3.23 Mg/ha/year). Loss of nitrogen (N) (4.49 kg/ha/year) and phosphorous (P) (2.43 kg/ha/year) were highest in barren land, while potassium (K) loss was highest (4.30 kg/ha/year) in mixed farming. The lowest N loss rate (3.34 kg/ha/year) was in terrace cultivation, the lowest P loss rate (8.19 kg/ha/year) was in mixed farming, and the lowest potassium loss rate (3.28 kg/ha/year) was in cardamom-based agroforestry. Approximately 33% of the farmers acknowledged light or no soil losses, while 17% of the farmers accepted moderate soil erosion. The results of field survey indicated that only 15–19% of the farmers reported high or extreme soil loss in the fields. Farmers in the watershed are practicing multiple measures to control land degradation; however, marginal farmers are still vulnerable and need strong support from the government to safeguard their land.