IMPACT EVALUATION OF CROPPING PATTERN AND PRODUCTION PATTERN DUE TO WATERSHED DEVELOPMENT PROJECT IN RAJASTHAN

Agriculture is the backbone of Indian economy and is largely dependent upon natural resources like soil, water and vegetation. These resources are limited in supply and are getting depleted day by day. One of the practical solutions for conservation of these limited natural resources and sustainable development is through proper watershed development strategy. Watershed development projects have been undertaken with a view to improve and stabilise crop productivity in rain fed areas on a sustainable basis in the long run. There are some components of the watershed development programme which require time to show their full impact. Therefore, there is need to evaluate watershed development projects after providing some gestation period on the completion of the projects. The project in Haripura watershed was completed in 2010 and it was assumed that it was showing its full impact during the study period (2010-11) on productivity, pattern of agriculture and income of the beneficiaries. Both primary and secondary data were collected for the study. The primary data were collected from the farmers on the field. Different factors determining the cropping pattern, irrigation availability plays a paramount role.