An Experiment on Conversion of Wasteland into Cultivable Land and Soil Conservation

Abstract

During one of his routine inspections of drainage schemes under construc- tion, the writer of this article noticed an effort being Inade by a peasant cultivator for conversion of a plot of wasteland, on the side of a natural nalla, into cultivable land and effect soil conservation. The following few lines give a brief description of the experiment enlbodying relevant data about various aspects of tackling the problem. The work of construction of drains in the area under Dy. No. 3 of Girna Left Bank Canal was being inspected on 22-9-1954. During the course of inspection of drain No. 1 of this scheme, it was noticed that some ploughing work was in progress in one of the fields just by the side of the nalla of this drain and a few hundred feet below the standing wave flume which is constructed near the downstream end of this drain. This field was found to be projecting beyond the edge of the cultivated fields on that side, in undulating wasteland and, therefore, attracted my attention. Enquiries were made with the fieldman carrying out the ploughing work and it was revealed that there was an ingenious attempt for conversion of initial wasteland into a plot of cultivable land by conserving soil. Shri Parashram Dhanaji Sawant is the owner of S. No. 478 of Aghar. A small portion of this S. No. by the side of the nalla on the eastern side of the same was lying fallow, being not cultivable due to exposed murum and undulating surface cut up into gullies by rainfall runoff. This land has since been transformed into a cultivable piece of land. The size of the plot under consider- ation is 217 ft. X 113 ft. average ( including bandh); the area works out to slightly over half an acre.