Integrated Water Resources Management: Integrated Water Resources Management brought a change in the lives of tribal farmers of Odisha
In Odisha’s Birjaberna village, Integrated Water Resources Management increased the agricultural productivity of farmers by teaching them better methods of water conservation and irrigation.
There is a tribal village named Birjaberna in Sundargarh district of Odisha, where 1400 mm of rain falls every year, and there is also an irrigation project named Ghurlijor, yet the farmers did not get irrigation facilities. Due to lack of water from canals and lack of other sources of irrigation, tribal farmers used to grow only one crop of paddy in Kharif. Due to this, their agricultural productivity was low, and they were not able to get good profits.
The solution to this problem was in Integrated Water Resources Management. Its objective was to manage water resources properly and teach farmers better methods of water conservation and irrigation, so that their agricultural productivity could increase.
Scientific initiatives improve water resource management
In 2013-14, ICAR-Indian Institute of Water Management, Bhubaneswar planned Integrated Water Resources Management in Birjaberna village and implemented several water conservation measures. Under these measures, farmers were trained on correct methods of water management and proper use of water in different areas of agriculture. In addition, programs like field demonstrations and exposure visits were also organized to enhance water conservation in the fields.
To improve irrigation facilities, inlet, outlet and additional drainage structures were constructed in the community pond connected to the village canal. This increased the water availability in the pond (1.2 hectare-meters) and increased the command area by 30%. In addition, a well was also dug near the community pond, which provided additional water of 1.8 hectare-meters and also increased the command area by 2.1 hectares. The water supply from the well was connected to an underground pipeline and sprinkler irrigation system.
Instilling confidence in tribal farmers
These water management reforms had a positive impact on tribal farmers. By 2015-16, farmers started taking three crops of paddy in kharif, mustard in rabi, and groundnut and green gram in summer. Kharif paddy yield increased by 30% due to supplementary irrigation. Use of sprinkler irrigation system in rabi season resulted in 32% water savings, and 28% increase in yield. This reform made farmers realize the benefits of Integrated Water Resources Management, which improved their agricultural productivity and enabled them to earn more profits.
Additional income from fishing
Multipurpose management of rain and canal water was done in the village community pond, promoting both agriculture and fisheries. Low input based fish farming produced 472 kg of fish in 210 days, giving a net income of Rs 62,000 per hectare.
Increase in income of tribal farmers
As a result of all these efforts, the average annual net income in the targeted area (2.1 hectare crop area and 1.0 hectare pond area) increased from Rs 17,000 to Rs 1.42 lakh in 2015-16. This was the result of effective implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management, which significantly increased the income of tribal farmers.
Integrated water resources management in other tribal villages
Given these success stories, ICAR-IIWM, Bhubaneswar also initiated Integrated Water Resources Management activities in another tribal village named Mohuljor in 2016-17. Inspired by this success, the institute decided to implement this model in other tribal areas.
This success story clearly shows that scientific water management and increasing the capacity of farmers can not only improve agricultural productivity but also bring significant changes in the lifestyle of tribal farmers. This model of Integrated Water Resources Management can also become a model for other tribal areas, so that they can improve their agriculture and earn more profit by using water resources properly.
This step can become a symbol of economic and social empowerment not only for farmers but for the entire tribal community. Integrated Water Resources Management not only increases agricultural productivity but also helps in improving the living standards of tribal farmers.
Contact details: If farmers want to share information or experiences related to farming with us, then they can do this by calling us on the phone number 9599273766 or by writing an email to [email protected] or by sending your recording. Through Kisan of India, we will convey your message to the people, because we believe that if the farmers are advanced then the country is happy.