Reducing grazing pressure in Radhi through winter cropping

Kuensel, Thimpu
http://www.kuenselonline.com
April 12, 2004

By By Bishal Rai
(bishal@kuensel.com.bt)

Trashigang : 12 April 2004 - In another few weeks Radhi geog in Trashigang will harvest its first winter crop of potatoes, mustard, wheat and fodder seeds like triticum spelts and oats.

For a well-off geog better known as the rice bowl of the east the winter harvest will contribute to its food and fodder requirements but it has other more significant implications closely linked to its fragile and deteriorating environment.
Winter cropping is one measure Radhi has adopted to reduce grazing pressure on the fragile upper catchment area which has been stripped of all fodder trees and other large trees because of over grazing. The traditional pasture land is located at the upper catchment area and is shared by Radhi and Merak and Sakten geogs.

“It is an option to address the Chongdiri sub-watershed management. We did not want to push the idea to the farmers but since they are all aware of the critical watershed, they wanted to promote winter cropping,” said Trashigang district agriculture officer (DAO) Chimi Rinzin. That is why winter cropping included feed and fodder for cattle more than just vegetables.

With winter cattle fodder available young tree saplings planted all over the geog will get a chance to grow and in the process control erosion, a major problem in the geog caused by the unscrupulous felling of trees years ago by the villagers to convert forest land into paddy fields.

Last year’s attempt at winter cropping was eaten by ‘stray’ cattle, mainly by migratory herds from the neighbouring geogs of Merak and Sakten and Shongphu said research officer Thinley Wangchuk of renewable natural resources research centre (RNR-RC) in Khangma Trashigang which recently shifted to Wengkar in Mongar. DAO Chimi Rinzin added that cross-border stray cattle grazing was a winter issue in almost all the geogs but it was most severe in Radhi.

This year, prior to the winter cultivation, the gups of Merak, Sakten, Songphu, and Radhi signed an agreement, to curb cross border stray grazing and forming management tshogpas and traditional ‘crop guards’ to monitor the fields. The by-law on winter cropping and livestock management was prepared by the GYT members of Radhi and signed and adopted by four concerned geogs (Phongmey, Shongphu, Merak, and Sakten).

The justification came out from the communities themselves during the first stakeholder meeting of Chongdiri Sub-Watershed Management last year, said Thinley Wangchuk of RNR/RC-Khangma. Winter cropping also promotes cooperation among the communities and will reduce conflicts between households and communities, he added.

The long term goal of winter cropping programme is to gradually reduce grazing area in the geog and ultimately to get rid of unwanted cattle population. Radhi geog alone has about 1,952 cattle and 513 horses.

The programme is being scaled up as part of the conflict resolution programme and livestock development programme of the Chongdiri sub-watershed management, the RNRRC Khangma and Trashigang dzongkhag agriculture office, with financial assistance from land use and statistical section (LUSS) under PPD, agriculture ministry.

Potato, mustard wheat and fodder seeds worth Nu 344,296 were provided free of cost to be grown during the winter over an areas of 240 langdos (one langdo is equal to the area a bullock ploughs in a day). Interested farmers were identified and areas by crop were determined by the agriculture extension agents of Radhi geog along with the tshokpas of the geog. Four groups were also formed among interested farmers for the winter cropping.

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