Hoshiarpur Kandi Belt Dryland Farming Shivalik

The Kandi belt is the semi-arid sub-montane tract along the Shivalik foothills covering northern Hoshiarpur, where farmers practice dryland rainfed farming on undulating bhabar terrain not served by canal irrigation. Kandi farmers grow maize, wheat, and oilseeds using traditional moisture-conservation practices: deep ploughing after monsoon, inter-cropping with legumes like lobia and moth bean, and planting drought-tolerant fodder grasses on field bunds. The Punjab government's Kandi Development Project has introduced check dams and terracing to reduce runoff and expand arable area in this ecologically fragile zone.