Impact Evaluation of Kadwanchi Watershed in Maharashtra: Lessons for Post-Project Sustainability
2013
Osman, M. | Sonune, S.V. | Shankar, K Ravi | Dupdal, Ravi | Wasre, Pandit
The Kadwanchi watershed in Jalna district of Maharashtra implemented during 1997–2002 covering an area of 1888 ha was re-visited during 2012 after a gap of 10 years to draw lessons from the success and understand the drivers of sustainability. The in-situ conservation measures in the form of field bunding and ex-situ through check dams complemented each other and improved both surface and ground water availability. As a consequence of water resource development, a shift in the land use, cropping pattern and conversion of fallow and culturable wastelands to cultivable land was observed. All the crops registered higher productivity and the production was doubled during the kharif and rabi season while increase in horticultural production was several folds mainly due to cultivation of grapes. The post-project scenario also noticed change in composition of livestock with more number of cross-bred cows, which is attributed to increase in availability of fodder due to higher cropping intensity (from 132 to 175%) and cultivation of fodder. The success of watershed led to the improvement in physical assets, individual farm houses and created an exemplary model of construction of internal roads to a length of 42 km by farmers themselves. The schemes of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), thrift by SHGs and subsidized electricity for agriculture were found to be of little significance. Farmers are willing to mobilize the funds to pay the cost of electricity as per the norms of industry. The post-project sustainability is attributed to the factors such as proper facilitation by the implementing agency, active participation by the community, judicious use of water, convergence with other schemes and collective leadership.
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