A tool to assess impact of watershed interventions for integrated management of drylands in Karnataka

Efficient use of available water resources is vital for sustainable agriculture development. Watershed development primarily promotes soil and water conservation. A study was undertaken in 6 watershed villages of Karnataka, India in 2019 to assess the impact of watershed interventions on agriculture. Watershed Impact Index (WII) was constructed using Guilford Normalized Rank Method and five indicators emerged as important. Data were collected from 120 randomly selected farmers and analysed using paired t-test, Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. Significant change was observed in dairy income, ground water level, cropping intensity, milk yield and social participation. Land holding (0.421), extension contact (0.389), dairy income (0.545) and milk yield (0.510) had moderate correlation with the index value. As water management will be a critical component in future agriculture, the findings of this study would serve as a source of information for better extension planning.