Improving Prospects of Vegetable Cultivation in Kandi area through Rainwater Harvesting

A study was conducted to assess the production and economic potential of tomato and okra using harvested rainwater in the watershed of the village Khanna Churgal, Purmandal. A water harvesting pond with top length, breadth and depth measuring 60, 27 and 4.5 meters, respectively and storage capacity of 0.6 ha m was constructed for collecting the runoff during rains and providing essential irrigation to vegetables during the lean period. The command area was around 4.5 ha. Tomato and okra could be successfully cultivated by creating appropriate soil moisture conditions using the harvested rainwater. Yields of upto 250 and 120 q ha⁻¹ for tomato and okra, respectively were obtained. This translated into gross returns of 3.00 lacs and 1.32 lacs/ha in case of tomato and okra, respectively. To calculate the B:C ratio construction cost of water harvesting tank in terms of loan repayment was included in the expenses along with maintenance costs. B:C ratio of 4.61 for tomato and 2.40 for okra was achieved, as against that of 1.16 for maize, indicating promising prospects of vegetable production in the region provided water is made available at the right time for enhancing the economic status of the resource poor farmers of the region.