Impact of Watershed Intervention Technology on Agricultural Farm Households - An Application of Economic Surplus Model
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Date
2013
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Abstract
Watershed hitervention Technology (WIT) is a composite approach to an efficient use of land and
water resources so as to get optimum production from them and also to preserve the soil from
deterioration and future utility (Ministry of Water Resources,2010). Watershed development
structures play a significant role in groundwater recharge. These structures enhance soil moisture
regime, enrich soil fertility and thereby promote ecological balance through conservation of eco
system. The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) forecasts that by the year 2025, 33
per cent of hidia’s population will live under absolute water scarcity condition. Further the World
Bank estimates that by the year 2025, one person in three, i.e, 3.25 billion people in 52 countries
will live under conditions of water shortage. Watershed development is gaining momentum and
the fanners adopt various watershed inteiwention technologies for their farm activities. Hence this
study is an attempt to assess how the watershed intervention teclmology is carried out in selected
blocks in Coimbatore district. To evaluate the impact of watershed intervention technology on the
economic welfare of the farm households. The model is based on the Marshallian theory of
economic surplus (demand and supply). The study established that with WIT the farmers as
‘producers’ realise ‘surplus’ eompared to farmers as ‘consumers’, leading to socio economic
upliftment of the farmers. Further the study reveals that participatory watershed management
could be a viable strategy of rural development for achieving sustainable rural livelihoods in India.