Growth and Performance of Greenhouse-Based Horticulture in Uttarakhand: Trends, Challenges and Policy Implications

Greenhouse horticulture has increasingly become a pertinent solution to agricultural diversification, income and sustainable rural livelihoods in the hill states like Uttarakhand. The state agriculture is characterized by small and fragmented landholdings, dependence on rainfall and vulnerability to climatic variability, which limits the productivity and profitability of the traditional farming systems. The application of the technology of protected cultivation is a way out of the issue since it enables utilizing resources effectively, reducing the impact of climatic conditions, and growing high-value crops on an annual basis. The present study focuses on the development, productivity, and socio-economic implications of the horticultural industry of greenhouse in Uttarakhand based on the secondary data collected through the official sources which comprise the Directorate of Horticulture, National Horticulture Board, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, State Economic Surveys, and the reports of national horticulture mission. The paper employs the descriptive and trend based analysis, including compound annual growth rate and comparative analysis to examine the variation in the area, adoption, productivity, income and employment generation associated with the use of protected cultivation. The findings indicate that the greenhouse buildings particularly polyhouses and net houses are experiencing a steady increase, which is enabled by the government subsidies and institutional interventions to a large extent. The greenhouse agriculture has also resulted in more production, quality of crops and high farm incomes especially the off-season production of vegetables and flowers. It has also generated numerous on-farm and off-farm employment thus livelihood security and reduced migration pressures in the hill regions. It enumerates old issues such as high start-up investment level, incompetence in technical skills, inadequate extension services, inadequate market linkages and inadequate post-harvest infrastructure. The greenhouse horticulture has a great potential of boosting the horticulture development and livelihoods in the rural Uttarakhand provided the policy support is reinforced with effective capacity building, market integration and result oriented institutional mechanism.