Does the watershed development program verily influence farming: An assessment study in rainfed tracts of Tamil Nadu

This study has conducted an impact assessment of the watershed development programmes in Tamil Nadu relying on biological, physical, social and economic indicators. The watershed development structures are found to be satisfactory and contributed to the additional storage capacity, rise in the water table and also prolonged the water availability, increasing the irrigation intensity and cropping intensity. These resulted in enhanced productivity. Even it produced a significant impact on groundwater recharge. The study suggests the development of water harvesting structures through private investment in farm and percolation ponds.