A field visit was undertaken on 5th and 6th May 2026 to project villages in Betalghat block, Nainital district, in the Kumaon region, to review progress of field trials as part of the study on dryland farming.
This visit is part of P-Green Solutions’ Phase II research project, “Water Distribution Solutions for Dryland Agriculture in the Uttarakhand Himalayas,” supported by Himmotthan under the Himalayan Water Partnership. Building on an earlier IWMI-TATA/CEDAR study on the sustainability of water interventions for livelihoods, this project studies traditional water-use and support irrigation practices in dryland agriculture, and pilots micro-irrigation systems such as drip and sprinklers to improve water-use efficiency for farmers across Nainital, Almora, and Tehri Garhwal districts.
The team visited two demonstration villages – Ulgaon and Dhanigaon – where capsicum has been laid out under both drip-irrigated and non-drip (mulched) plots for comparison. A visible difference was observed between the demonstration and control plots, though some seedling stress due to excessive heat was noted. Discussions were also held on strengthening farmer-level data collection formats and agronomic practices to help maximise yields.
At Dhanigaon, a newly initiated cabbage plot was found to be affected by pest damage, highlighting the need for stronger nursery-stage plant protection measures going forward.
