Development of Spatial Decision Support Model for Micro Level Planning in Agriculture for Semi Arid Area of Maharashtra in India

Abstract

Agriculture plays a vital role in the Indian Economy, making India - A GLOBAL newlineAGRICULTURAL POWERHOUSE. It is the major source of livelihood for more than 58% of newlinethe population of the country. Out of the total agriculture of the country, rainfed agro-ecologies, newlinewhich include semiarid and arid regions, contribute 67% of the net sown area in India. Out of the newline174 million hectare cropped area in India, 131 million hectare lies under the semiarid regions. newlineThough a major contribution is from the semiarid region of the country, there are various factors newlinewhich affect the crop yield in the region. Some of the important factors include climate change, newlineuneven distribution of rainfall, soil moisture contents and degradation of soil quality. For newlinesustainable agriculture in semiarid regions, micro level planning of crop productivity newlineimprovement activities should be focused. Considering this significance, an attempt had been newlinemade to develop Spatial Decision Support Model (SDSM) for better planning and management newlineof crop production improvement activities. Individual farmers, agriculture departments, research newlineinstitutes, NGOs, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, agricultural companies will be benefited from SDSM at newlinevarious level of decision making and planning process. newlineLand suitability assessment is an important activity of crop newline