This paper discusses an integrated approach for water resource management to improve rural livelihoods in the East India Plateau. This has involved linking hydrological, agronomic and social aspects to increase access to water, improve water use efficiency and develop capacity within the villages for better decision making regarding use of the available resources. To this end, the research adopted a participatory, action-learning approach, with villagers joining in developing research questions, executing experiments, collecting data and sharing in their interpretation, as well as planning intervention work designed to improve access to water, particularly in the early dry season. The focus of this paper is on the integration of the different aspects of water resource management, with particular emphasis on the social issues. This included working with women's self-help groups and village watershed committees, and specific efforts to engage women in research and related development activities. The result has been an improved capacity within the village for managing water resources, including improved self-perceptions as farmers (especially women), better understanding of the potential resources and any constraints (e.g. soil fertility) and knowledge of how to manage the constraints (e.g. fertilisers), as well as a better understanding of the social capacities within the village.
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Research Article|
March 01 2012
Water harvesting and better cropping systems for the benefit of small farmers in watersheds of the East India Plateau
B. Croke;
aFenner School of Environment and Society, National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training and Department of Mathematics Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia. E-mail: [email protected]
E-mail: [email protected]
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P. Cornish;
P. Cornish
bSchool of Natural Sciences, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith NSW 2751, Australia. E-mail: [email protected]
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K. Choudhry;
K. Choudhry
cPRADAN, Lal Mohan Trivedi Lane, Nilkuthi Danga, Purulia – 723101, West Bengal, India. E-mail: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
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D. Kharmakar;
D. Kharmakar
cPRADAN, Lal Mohan Trivedi Lane, Nilkuthi Danga, Purulia – 723101, West Bengal, India. E-mail: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
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A. Chakraborty;
A. Chakraborty
cPRADAN, Lal Mohan Trivedi Lane, Nilkuthi Danga, Purulia – 723101, West Bengal, India. E-mail: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
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A. Islam;
A. Islam
dICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, P.O. Bihar Veterinary College, Patna 800014, Bihar, India. E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]
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M. A. Khan
M. A. Khan
dICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, P.O. Bihar Veterinary College, Patna 800014, Bihar, India. E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]
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Water Practice and Technology (2012) 7 (1): wpt2012019.
Citation
B. Croke, P. Cornish, K. Choudhry, D. Kharmakar, A. Chakraborty, A. Islam, M. A. Khan; Water harvesting and better cropping systems for the benefit of small farmers in watersheds of the East India Plateau. Water Practice and Technology 1 March 2012; 7 (1): wpt2012019. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wpt.2012.019
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