Natural Resources and Land Use

In district Haripur, land is used for four major purpose i.e. agriculture, construction of buildings, grazing / grass and forest. Agriculture is a main source of income for a major portion of the populace. Farming is the common occupation of the people living in the rural areas.

In District Haripur, more area is covered with forests and rangelands (39% of the total land) and comparatively has a small amount of agriculture land i.e. 169,019.82 acre (37% of the total reported area). Meanly 97% (165,066 acre) of the total cultivated land is sown and currently there is a fallow of 3,954 acre (3% of the total cultivated land) mostly due to non availability of irrigation water and droughts. Besides, there is a considerable amount of cultivable wastes i.e. 33,890.45 acre (7% of the total reported area) that may be brought under cultivation, if irrigation water available and lands protected from erosion/sliding.

Most of the farmers are small land holders and so self operators. Per HH cultivated land is 1.15 acre. About 15% HHs have no land and earn their subsistence from daily wages. 30% HHs just have houses and 0.25 – 0.5 acre land. They have grains from their own land just to suffice for a month or two. They do on and off farm labor to support their HH economy. 55% HHs have 5-15 acre land including range lands and forests. They have sufficient grains for their own use. While some members of the HHs do government and private services and labor abroad to meet other non food needs. About 10% HHs have more than 25 acre land including range lands and forests. They sell surplus grains and vegetables/cash crops within the district and outside.

(Sources: Crops Reporting Services, Haripur and Primary data from local communities)

Although farmers use available technology, traditional methods of farming still dominate in the district. Farmers mostly use tractor, except some remote hilly areas with narrow terraces, for plough and thrasher/Sheller for wheat / maize thrashing and motorized machine for rice husking. In plain areas, farmers have more access to extension services and improved seed / quality fertilizer and agrochemical, while in remote hilly areas they use traditional seed. Over use of agrochemicals is a common practice in the district. Yet in plain areas, all the farmers don’t get improved seed due to non limited availability. Where there is irrigation water, farmers give moisture to the fields before sowing and prepare land well. But in rain fed areas, it totally depends on rain and farmers could little prepare land for sowing. In un-irrigated areas, farmers are shifting from crops needing more water to the crops that don’t need much water. Through Ashar system, farmers help one another in times of cultivation and harvesting.

Throughout Haripur, farmers grow cereal crops i.e. maize, wheat and barley, pulses and beans i.e. gram, masoor, matter, beans and mong other cash crops i.e. tobacco, sugar cane, turmeric and ground nut, and oil seed i.e. sunflower and mustard as per required habitat and needed irrigation.