ECOPHYSIOGRAPHIC INVENTORIZATION OF COFFEE GROWING SYSTEMS IN THE WESTERN HIMALAYAS

Abstract

Coffee cultivation is an emerging but promising diversification avenue in the subtropical low and mid-hill terrains of western Himalayas of Himachal Pradesh. The study focuses on GPS-GIS mapping of coffee plantations in the state and consists of an ecophysiographic inventory of 27 Coffea arabica plantation sites in the districts of Kangra, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Una and Mandi. The study deals with elevation, slope, aspect, shade management and farmer adoption patterns. Geographic coordinates were recorded through field surveys and terrain attributes were derived from CartoSat‐1 digital elevation models. Plantation level information on age, planting density, survival percentage and shade tree composition were obtained from systematic field surveys. The plantations were established between 445 and 1168 m amsl on gently to moderately sloping land. Survival at the district level ranged from 37.83 to 50.60 %, and at the site level from 5 to 87 %, indicating strong heterogeneity in establishment success. Shade management was identified as a major ecophysiographic modifier with orchard canopies dominated by Mangifera indica and substantially lower survival of inadequately shaded sites at similar elevations. The farmers’ adoption patterns indicate that coffee is mainly incorporated as an understorey component within existing orchard systems. Results suggest that elevation bands, terrain exposure and shade-mediated microclimate have effect on Arabica establishment in these emerging systems and provide a spatially explicit framework for site-specific recommendations on coffee expansion in the western Himalayas.