Uttarakhand, the “northern land” of India, is situated in the northern part of the country. Always addressed as the “Devbhoomi” implying the cultural and religious importance of the state in Hindu divinity. The state has rich natural environmental areas- Himalayas bordering the state and engulfing the Bhabar and Terai regions, the state is a mystic land.it shares the international borders with the Tibet Autonomous region of China at the north and shares the east border with Sudurpaschim Pradesh of Nepal. It also shares the interstate borders with Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. With a total area of 53,483 km sq, ranking 19th in the list of land areas.

Uttarakhand holds a very scenic and mystical value in Hindu culture, with hundreds of temples, and holy rivers flowing through the state. The state not only surmises the holy culture, but also fancy the terrain and ecological bias nature. The state covers hilly as well as terrain region and supports farming to greater extents. With accurate rainfall, the irrigation process remains throughout the season.

 Most of the rivers in Uttarakhand flow in the south or south-east direction. There are many small and big river systems in the state, of which the Kali river system, Ganga river system and Yamuna river system are the main and crucial ones.

• Kali river system

  With a length of 252 kms the river flows along the indo-nepal border. The river has its tributaries as Eastern Dhauliganga, Gauriganga and Saryu River. It has three subsystems as Gauri Ganga sub system,Sarayu sub system and Ladhia river.

• Yamuna river system

  Originating from the Yamunotri glacier situated on the south-western slope of the Bandarpunch mountain in Uttarkashi, the river flows at the length of 136 kms. The tributaries of Yamuna river are Rishiganga, Krishnagad, Bhadrigad, Tons, Khutanugad,Hanumanganga, Barnigad, Kamalgad, etc. The river, flowing from Uttarkashi and Dehradun, flows out of the state; the most adhering tributary of the Yamuna is the River Tons, which brings around two and a half times more water than the Yamuna itself. It bridges the Yamuna through Kalsi Dakpathar after flowing 148 km along the border of the state and Himachal Pradesh. After meeting Tones, Yamuna moves along the border of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. The total length from Yamunotri to Allahabad is 1384 kilometers.

• Ganga river system 

  The 90 kms long Ganges river has prominent aspects in the state as well as Hindu culture, it is one of the most esteemed and highly religious rivers of the whole country.In Devprayag, Bhagirathi and Alaknanda joined together in the name of Ganga, and in Haridwar, the rivers Ratmau and Solani join the Ganges  with imminent sub systems like- Alaknanda sub system, Bhagirathi sub system, Western Ram Ganga sub system, Gola river, Koni river and Nandhaur river.

Agro Climatic zones of Uttarakhand

Bhabar and Tarai Zone

Dehradun

Haridwar

Nainital

Udham Singh Nagar

Hill Zone

Almora

Bageshwar

Chamoli

Champawat

Pauri

Pithoragarh

Rudraprayag

Tehri

Uttarkashi

Out of the total geographical area of the state that is 5.35 million ha, 86% that is 4.6 million ha is the hilly area, and the rest 14% that is 0.74 million ha is plain area. If we take a further dive into the stats only 14% of the land area out of the total is cultivable. With a very suitable nature and topographical advantage the area scores higher rates for horticulture, organic farming and off season vegetable cultivation. Uttarakhand is listed among the National Agro Climatic zone no. -9 and 14.

Agriculture takes a lead over the economy being a predominant sector, contributing around 23.4% State Domestic Product (GDP). The agricultural sector depends upon rainfall for irrigation, with net Irrigated area in the state being 3.45 lakh ha. Out of which 85.83% is in plains and 14.17% is in hills. The irrigation intensity in the state is 159% which varies between 155% in plains to 184% in hilly region. With a population dependency over agriculture being 75-80% the state remains primarily an agricultural state. A basic period is followed in farming regions, the plain region promotes commercial agricultural activities and the hilly region is dominated by subsistence farming.

The state government is promoting various products that should be produced into the state to stabilize the recent decline that has arrived in the agricultural sector. Items like basmati rice, aromatic and medicinal plants, vegetable and flower cultivation, litchi production and milk production. While the major crops of the state are- rice, wheat, sugarcane, maize, soybean, pulses and oilseeds. The vegetables that are highly popular in the state for cultivation are-Potato, tomato, green pea, cauliflower and capsicum and fruits are-Mango, litchi, guava, apricot etc.