ABSTRACT
48The agricultural suitability model considering soil, landscape and climate criteria was used to develop strategic development plans for selected commodities in Lagadwal village, Sakri tehsil of Dhule district representing semi-arid ecosystem of Western India. In the study, an effort was made to evaluate basaltic land resources of Lagadwal village through detailed soil survey and photo-pedological interview walks and discussions with farmers. The landscape was divided into 25 soil mapping units based on geology and topography that are common to the extent of common broad land uses at similar level of performance. These soil-mapping units were used as base for discussing and characterizing the capabilities for a range of land uses and intended uses under consideration. The dryland agriculture with soybean, sorghum and pearl millet crops on low quality agricultural lands of Lagadwal village has not changed little over decades. Accordingly, the visual mosaics of landscape photographs were arranged on six themes related to soil – landscape units (soil depth, soil surface unevenness, subsoil compaction, forest cover and top soil erosion) and eight themes on management options (grass field borders, multispecies buffer, ground cover crops, minimum tillage, diverse rotations, strip grasses, agroforestry and crop intensity) and opinions were sought so as to develop linkages for thematic based agro-programs such as erosion control, increasing crop diversity and raising crops at landscape level. The study advocates socio-agro-ecological approach linking of esthetic value of natural resources as per the socio-economic needs of rural communities.
