Socioeconomic and Policy Research on Watershed Management in India Synthesis of Past Experiences and Needs for Future Research:Global Theme on Agroecosystems Report no. 7
Year: 2004
Type: book
Abstract: Much of the progress in the past in terms of improving the productivity of agriculture and reducing poverty has occurred in areas \nwith favorable biophysical and socioeconomic conditions. As in many developing countries, more than two-thirds of the agricultural \nland and the rural population in India are found in rainfed areas, which have been largely bypassed by the past process of \nagricultural transformation. As opportunities for further productivity growth in more favored areas are being exhausted, there is \nan urgent need to invest in rainfed areas where widespread rural poverty, water scarcity and degradation of the resource base are \nstill critical development constraints. Several technical interventions for resource conservation in the past that neglected the \neconomic and policy dimensions have failed. In the past few years, a new watershed and community-based approach that maintains \npeople’s livelihoods at the heart of the debate on natural resource management has evolved. India is one of the countries that have \nadopted this integrated watershed management approach as a vehicle for sustainable agricultural transformation and livelihood \nsecurity in the rainfed areas. India has also gained significant experience in the implementation of this approach. With the objective \nof synthesizing this knowledge and identifying the needs for future research, this study was jointly undertaken by ICRISAT and \nIWMI, initially focusing on socioeconomic and policy aspects. The study provides a broad overview of the national policy and \ninstitutional frameworks for watershed development, followed by a detailed assessment of various institutional arrangements and \nwatershed management experiences using selected case studies. The major lessons and key determinants of successful watershed \ninterventions are identified from the case studies. The study concludes by highlighting the knowledge gaps and areas for future \nsocioeconomic and policy research to enhance the impacts of watershed programs. \n
Authors: P. K. Joshi, Pangare, Bekele Shiferaw, S P Wani, J. Bouma, Christopher A. Scott
Language: English
Subfield: Water Science and Technology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W39970855