Impact of Watershed Programmes in Bundelkhand Region of Madhya Pradesh, India: How Beneficiaries Perceive?
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FULL-LENGTH RESEARCH ARTICLE
Impact of Watershed Programmes in Bundelkhand Region of Madhya Pradesh, India: How Beneficiaries Perceive? Biswajit Mondal1
•
Alka Singh2 • G. A. K. Kumar1 • M. K. Sinha3 • Suresh Kumar4
Received: 23 May 2019 / Accepted: 7 September 2020 Ó NAAS (National Academy of Agricultural Sciences) 2020
Abstract An ex- post study was conducted to assess the impact of watershed development programmes, and appraisal was made with perceptions of beneficiaries of respective watersheds. The water resources development activities were accorded the highest priority with the allocation of 42% of the total budget, followed by soil conservation activities with the allocation of 27% of the budget. The cumulative effect of land-based activities was observed in terms of an increase in cultivated area (34%), cropping intensity (44%), afforestation/plantation (34%), irrigation intensity (13%) as well as a decrease in current fallow (78%) and wasteland (35%). The value of crop diversification index and cultivated land utilization index were higher over pre-project situations, and higher value of crop yield index indicated the higher productivity levels for major crops in watershed villages. Positive and significant differences in various socio-economic attributes among watersheds and control areas like labour absorptions and income from crop enterprises also endorsed the positive effects of watershed-based interventions. However, yield enhancement, groundwater recharge, saving of resources and augmentation of income were the major benefits of various watershed-based interventions as perceived by the beneficiary households. Keywords Bundelkhand region Farmer’s perceptions Garrett ranking Observed benefit Watershed
Introduction India is predominantly an agrarian economy having twothirds of its people still deriving their livelihood from agriculture and allied activities. One of the major challenges is to accelerate and maintain agricultural growth and ensure food security without exhausting natural resources. & Biswajit Mondal [email protected] 1
ICAR-National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, Odisha 753 006, India
2
ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, New Delhi 110 012, India
3
ICAR-Indian Institute of Water Management, Bhubaneswar, Odisha 751 023, India
4
ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Research Centre, Bellary, Karnataka 583104, India
Land degradation, loss of soil nutrients, groundwater depletion and diminishing biodiversity, remain as major impediments for the growth of agriculture, particularly in the rainfed regions, which shares about 58% of cultivated area in the country [30]. To overcome such challenges, integrated watershed management was conceived as a mitigating measure for achieving twin objectives of natural resource conservation and enhancing livelihoods in rural areas [23]. To ensure availability of drinking water, access to fuelwood and fodder, boost farm income, generate employment opportunities particularly for marginal categorie
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