Impact of Water Resources Development and Technology Introductions on Livelihood of Farmers in Eastern India: A Case Study

Abstract

Agricultural technology introductions were carried out and their impact was studied in two clusters of villages in the Dhenkanal Sadar and Odapada blocks of Dhenkanal District in Odisha in the eastern Indian plateau region. Ten water‐harvesting structures (WHSs) were constructed in two clusters of villages in the farmers' fields on a participatory basis. Harvested water in WHSs was used for multiple purposes, viz. agriculture, fish culture, on‐dyke horticulture, vegetable cultivation, poultry, dairy and mushroom cultivation; integrated farming system (IFS) models were developed. Adequate training was also given to the farmers. The net income from the integrated farming systems varied widely between Rs. 16 100 and 251 000 ha−1. Poultry farming in the uplands and intensive cultivation around the embankments of the ponds were found to be effective in increasing the net return from the IFS models. Impact analysis of the water resources development and technology introductions at the study sites was carried out by analysing the comparative position of physical, social, financial, human and natural assets of the farmers before and after adoption of the introductions. The overall standard of living of the study farmers increased from 13.5 to 17.1 on a scale of 5 to 25, respectively. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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