2007 - Centre for Ecological Sciences - Indian Institute of Science

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Soppinabetta—A declining traditionBetta or soppinabetta (soppina means leaves and betta means an area or hillock with vegetation) isthe local name for a protected forest, and the term is used in the Indian Forest Act. The betta forestswere assigned to farmers for the purpose of supplying organic matter in the form of green and dryleaves to areca gardens. The British extended this special privilege to areca farmers during 1867 withsome regulations facilitating optimal and sustainable use of the forest resources. The farmers weregiven the privilege of collecting green leaves for the purpose of mulch, fuelwood, grass, NTFPs andsmall timber for their bonafide use. About 6–9 ha of betta lands were assigned to each hectare ofareca garden. Any type of commercial-level extraction is banned in these forests. Area under bettaforests has been declining over the decades and in Shinduvadi, these lands are being eitherprotected completely (no extraction allowed) or are being converted to plantations. Moreover,labour scarcity has led to a decline in the practice of using organic matter from soppinabetta. As aconsequence, green leaves are never used as manure in Shinduvadi.WNSEBanda kaanu*CroplandHeddari kaanu*Kaanu*Karada byana*Mekki kaanu*OthersSettlementSoppinabetta* Traditional forest categoriesExtent of different forest categories in 191017
Soil and waterPercent organic carbon1.81.51.20.90.60.30.0Areca Paddy CoffeeplantationForest0.75%, high.Soil organic carbon statusSoil QualitySoils of Shinduvadi are mainly a mix of black soils and red soils. In paddy andareca lands, organic carbon content was medium. Lower levels of organiccarbon in croplands can be attributed to intensive cultivation practices,whereas forests recorded higher levels (1.5%) due to undisturbed soils. Theabandoned coffee plantations also recorded high levels (1.4%).Soils under both areca and paddy recorded comparable bulk densities, pHvalues, and available potassium content. Bulk density ranged from 1.36 to1.37 g/cc. The soils are moderately acidic, with areca recording 5.9±0.4 andpaddy, 5.6±0.5. Soils are rich in available potassium: 271.81 and 276.31kg/ha in areca and paddy soils respectively (Table 3).Table 3: Cropland nutrient statusAreca PaddyPercent organic carbon 0.46 0.55Bulk density in g/cc 1.36 1.37pH 5.87 5.55Available potassium in kg/ha* 271.81 276.31Available sulphur in kg/ha 14.83 14.68* 120, high.Canal and streams41%Rains42%Groundwater8%Irrigation sourcesPond8%Irrigation SourcesAgriculture in Shinduvadi is mainly rainfed. Canals and streams form themajor irrigation sources. Groundwater sources such as open wells andbore-wells meet 8% of the irrigation requirements. Pond water irrigatesanother 8% of the croplands. The community is, therefore, dependent onrains and alternative sources such as canals and streams for irrigation,which makes agriculture vulnerable to water stress. Paddy is basicallyrainfed in kharif, and rabi paddy is dependent on pond irrigation. Borewellsand open wells meet the water requirements of areca in summer.Net irrigated area has been decreasing over the past three decades owingto decrease in agricultural activities and water scarcity. Ponds, which usedto be a major source of irrigation (102 ha) until 1995 have silted up andcurrently irrigate only about 18 ha of croplands (80% reduction). The extentof land dependent on rain has also decreased substantially (by 60%) overthe same period and is currently 98 ha. Ponds and rainwater are usedequally as sources of irrigation during kharif but ponds serves as the solesource in rabi and summer. Although groundwater is plentiful, its use for18
Page 1 and 2: Shinduvadi Village EcosystemShivamo
Page 3: Shinduvadi Village Ecosystem: State
Page 6 and 7: AcknowledgementWe would like to tha
Page 11 and 12: Soil: types, distribution and soil
Page 13 and 14: Demography and rainfallPhoto: Dr. B
Page 15 and 16: LandMajor land-use systems in the v
Page 17 and 18: Area in ha2502001501005001987 1995
Page 20 and 21: Forest and wildlifeNatural ForestsT
Page 22 and 23: irds of the sanctuary were observed
Page 26: irrigation is very limited and is c

2007 - Centre for Ecological Sciences - Indian Institute of Science

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