IN-SITU MOISTURE CONSERVATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR RAINFED AREAS OF HILLY REGION Introduction: It is estimated that about 40 per cent of the total geographical area of Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand and Jammu and Kashmir is highly degraded. In general soils are shallow with pebbles and boulders on slope near the foot hills. Soil loss through erosion is about 3.6 to 80 t/ha and runoff is a tune of 30-50% of annual rainfall in untreated watersheds in the Shiwalik region. Conservation of natural resources viz. land, water and vegetation is the utmost priority for enhancing the productivity on sustainable basis in any region in general but hilly and rainfed region in particular. High intensities rain during the rainy season eroding the fertile soil year by year and most of the runoff goes waste which is also deteriorating soil resources of the region. Promotion of in-situ moisture conservation measures like bunding, trenching and bench terracing are effective way to conserve moisture in small agricultural field to enhance the productivity in rainfed area. Contour bunding in 1.5 ha area, continuous contour trench in 2.0 ha area and bench terracing in 0.50 ha area have been constructed under DST-SEED Project entitled “Demonstration of technologies for improving productivity of rainfed area of Jammu District” which was completed during March, 2021. Data reveals that there is enhancement of productivity in wheat crop was more than 30 per cent. The trenches and bunding were constructed in existing benches or field having average width of 3 – 6 m. It was found very effective and practically feasible to construct continuous trench at inner side of the field/terrace and contour bund at the outer periphery of the same field. Design features: Continuous trenching Although trenches are recommended for non arable land but these were found very effective in agriculture land of rainfed region. Trenches are recommended across the hill slope at pre determined spacing to break the continuity of overland flow and store the rain water into the trenches for conserving water for enhancing moisture within the root zone. Expected life of trench are 3-5 years. Trenches can be two type one is continuous and another one is staggered. The length of continuous trench can be 10-20 m and staggered trench of 3-6 m depending upon the width of terrace. Generally, trenches are dug with a cross section varying from 30 cm x 30 cm to 45 cm x 45 cm. The dimension of continuous contour trench at study area were: width 0.80 m and depth 0.50 m .Staggered trenches were also constructed as per site location with a length of 6.0 m and spacing of 6.0 m. Contour bunding Bunds are adopted on mild slopping lands. It may be defined as construction of small earthen embankments across the slope of the land. Bunds decreases length of slope and help in intercepting the runoff water flowing down the slope thereby conserving moisture and reducing soil erosion. Contour bunds may be constructed up to 6% slope and these are in trapezoidal in shape. Contour bunds are very much effective for soil and moisture conservation in rainfed region. The dimension of contour bunds in the study area were: top width 0.50 m, bottom width 1.00 m and height 0.60 m. Bench terracing On steep sloping and undulating lands, intensive farming can only be adopted after constructing bench terraces which are one of the most popular soil conservation measure adopted by the farmer of hilly region. It comprises of construction of step like field along contours usually by half cutting and half filling procedure. Original steep slope is converted into level fields thus hazards of erosion are minimized. By adopting bench terracing both degree and length of slope are reduced which help in soil moisture conservation for enhanced crop production. Bench terrace are recommended for slope upto 33% but this practice can be adopted upto 50-60 % land slope. Width of terrace varies from 3.0 to 6.0 m depending topography of the area. The dimension of bench terrace in the study area were width: 3.0 m, vertical interval : 0.80 m and dimension of shoulder bund were: top width 0.20 m, bottom width 0.80 m and height 0.30 m. Cost: Cost of continuous trenching, contour bunding and bench terracing at site under study were found Rs. 22,410/ha, Rs. 30,537/ha and 1,25,755/ha. However cost of constriction may very as per topography and prevailing earthwork rate of the area. Suitability: These soil and water conservation measures are very much suitable for small farmers of mountainous eco system who are not having sufficient catchment area for water harvesting pond and matching budgetary provision. These are the cost effective and can easily be constructed having the field width of 3 – 6 m. Land at steep slope can also be brought under cultivation by constructing bench terracing system. Impact of technology: Simple structures under study will helpful in enhancing the moisture regime within the soil root zone. It was found that yield of the crop was improved 30 - 40 percent due to availability of moisture during dry spell. These in-situ moisture conservation measures is also helpful in controlling the erosion.