Sustainable Land Use Diversification and Investment Potential in Peri-urban, Semi-urban and Rural Areas of Telangana State, India

Urban Farm DB summary

This study, conducted in three districts of Telangana State, India (Adilabad, Nalgonda, and Warangal), used net returns from crops, fruit trees, and livestock to identify sustainable and profitable land uses, estimate credit requirements, and formulate a credit investment action plan, surveying 270 respondents (90 per district). Based on system index and benefit-cost ratio (BCR), the study identified profitable crop and livestock enterprises, with BCR ranging from 1.58 for cotton-pigeonpea intercropping in rural Adilabad to 3.98 for soybean-pigeonpea intercropping in peri-urban Adilabad. For fruit trees (15-year lifespan), payback periods of 5-7 years were found, with BCR of 1.61-2.07 and net present values (at 2010 prices) of 267 crore for sweet orange in Nalgonda and 109 crore for mango in Warangal. Returns per rupee invested in large ruminant (dairy) rearing ranged from 3.04 to 3.44, and for small ruminants from 4.05 to 5.54 across the three districts. The study reports large credit demand from the farming community and formulates a district-level investment action plan with policy implications.