How Indian Army's initiative helps Ladakh's farmers

Two years ago, life "completely changed" for 38-year-old Palmo. The resident of Partapur, a remote village in Ladakh, located 11,000 feet above sea level and about 150km from the Siachin glacier base camp, used to barely eke out a living from her fields. She struggled to send her children to school. Now she earns about Rs2,000-Rs2,300 per day.

All thanks to the Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR), which has helped Palmo and nearly 20,000 small farmers such as herself in Leh, Kargil, Partapur and Turtuk in Ladakh adopt advanced farming techniques like trench cultivation and polycarbonate greenhouses to improve crop yield. As a result, these farmers can now continue farming during the six-month-long winters when temperatures dip to -30 degreee Celsius and the land is burried under knee-high pile of snow. DIHAR's techniques even allows these farmers to carry on poultry, making it possible to hatch eggs during the winter season.

Established in 1962, DIHAR was a brainchild of Jawaharlal Nehru. Its objective is to carry out research "on agro-animal activities in cold and high altitude region of Ladakh with a view to enhance the availability of fresh foods i.e. vegetables, fruits, milk, meat, eggs and medicinal and aromatic plants for our troops through local farmers". DIHAR conducts research to enhance productivity in vegetable cultivation, in processing and preservation of vegetables and perishable food items, in the use of biodegradable waste for energy production; and conservation and upgradation of the local animal population.

"I started taking DIHAR's help a little more than a year and a half ago. Now, my life has completely changed," says Palmo. "Earlier I only grew potatoes and a couple of other vegetables. I now grow capsicum, tomatoes, cauliflowers, onions and other vegetables."

Palmo also sells the eggs and chicken from her poultry farm at the farmers' co-operative societies, which in turn have supply contracts with the Army. "As a result, my earnings have gone up from Rs 700 to Rs 2,300 per day. I also get subsidised animal feed from DIHAR."

Palmo's neighbour in the same village, 35-year-old Sonam Dorjee took DIHAR's assistance to cross-bred her cows with their superior cattle. " My cows are now more resilient to diseases and weather, and give 35-40 litres of milk daily," says Dorjee. "My income has doubled and I can afford to send my children to school. I am now looking for help to increase my livestock."

The programme has not just helped local farmers but has also proved to be a boon for troops posted at the frontier, especially at the Siachen glacier, the world's highest battleground. More than 50 per cent of the required fresh vegetable, fruit, milk, meat and poultry, running into thousands of tonnes, is procured from farmers in Ladakh. Earlier, the ration had to be airlifted from Chandigarh and dropped by helicopter at Siachen.

"We are doing our best to fulfill the food and energy needs of our troops in Ladakh. Last year, we entered the record books for growing 101 types of vegetables in Leh in a single season," says DIHAR director RB Srivastava. "Ever since local farmers have adopted DIHAR's technologies, the Army's vegetable supply in Ladakh has gone up from less than 10 varieties to at least 28 now."

Colonel SS Bisht of the Siachen Brigade says it is important for soldiers at the glacier to intake fresh food given the harsh conditions at the glacier. "So DIHAR is helping bring fresh food to soldiers, who earlier got only tinned food," says Colonel Bisht.

Trench cultivation: In trench cultivation, a small underground, three-foot deep greenhouse is covered with transparent UV stabilised white polythene sheets during the day to harvest maximum solar energy. At night, the trench is covered with another layer of black polythene to minimise heat loss. The average temperature in the trench is much higher than it is outside. It is a low-cost solution to greenhouse farming.

Polycarbonate greenhouse: These are over ground greenhouses formed using polycarbonate sheets — single, double or triple layered. Polycarbonate sheets are effective because they are successful in trapping heat even in extreme conditions and are durable. Inside the greenhouse, appropriate conditions for cultivation are maintained with tools such as moisture controller, temperature controller, etc.