Impact of rainwater harvesting structures on farm income in north Karnataka-An economic analysis

The study was undertaken with the objective of assessing the impact of rain water harvesting structures (RWHS) on cropped area, cost, returns and income of farmers in North Karnataka. The study was conducted based on primary data obtained from 120 sample farmers belonging to Koppal and Gulbarga districts of North Karnataka. There was a significant difference in the cropped area, cropping intensity and irrigation intensity among the farmers with RWHS in comparison with farmers without RWHS. The cost of cultivation of tur jowar, cotton, groundnut and maize grown by farmers with RWHS was higher by 19.74, 13.86, 9.13, 6.87 and 5.81%, respectively compared to farmers without RWHS. Similarly, the net income generated by farmers with RWHS was higher by 48.83, 76.09, 17.06, 26.49 and 87.56%, respectively in tur jowar, cotton, groundnut and maize compared farmers without RWHS. The investment on recharge pits and farm ponds was observed to be financially feasible and economically viable compared to nala bund which was deduced from the discounted cash flow measures computed for all the three structures.