Watershed management programmes towards sustainable trible development a study of Koraput district Odisha

Abstract

Soil and Water are two of the earth s principal natural resources that are newlinevital for all forms of life. Without them life will be impossible while their misuse can newlinehave disastrous environmental ramifications with far more dangerous implications newlinefor biodiversity, sustainable living, economic growth and wellbeing. Looking newlinethrough the lens of rural areas, tribal regions in particular, the rainfed system newlinedominates cropland and cereal grains production at all levels- globally, nationally newlineand locally thereby influencing livilihoods, poverty and overall economic newlinedevelopment of individuals, groups and states. Unsurprisingly, rainfed areas are newlinecharacterised by abysmally low agricultural productivity, that is reinforced by water newlinescarcity dry spells in the short-run and droughts in the long-run poor land newlinemanagement, old fashioned technology, weak infrastructure and inadequate newlinemarket linkage. Water is a persistent and prohibitive impediment to raising agricultural newlineproductivity and crop production, and at times, crops die of lack of water. newlineMoreover, productivity of water measured in amount of crop production per unit of newlinewater is very low in rainfed areas. There is a growing concern that a sizeable newlineproportion of the population will be facing physical water scaricity and large many newlinewill have limited access to safe water sources and supplies. Growing population newlinehas been exerting increasing pressure on rainfed cropland and water resources to newlinefeed humans and livestock leading to their over exploitation. Since most soils in newlinethe rainfed areas are deficient in essential nutrients and organic matter and water newlineresources are scarce, population growth is putting enormous pressure on these newlineresources for livelihood support and sustenance. Integrated Watershed newlineManagement has become panacea for all these water scarce areas for irrigation, newlinedrinking water problem for the human and animals, sustainable livelihood for the newlinepoor people in general and the tribal people in particular. newline