Q1

What NEW groups are formed after the watershed development program is initiated in the village?

Q2

How are the user groups formed?

Q3

What is the basis for forming / identification of UG member?

Q4

Whether UG are formed for private land?

Conservation, development and management of natural resources are an important agenda of the watershed development program. For this purpose, communities that are directly engaged in the above activities will be organized into user groups. Without this institutional base, the natural resource management will not be sustainable.

• The concept and practice of user groups are still weak in watershed development project in Andhra Pradesh. The process monitoring teams could not get clear picture of user groups in the selected watersheds. Though there are some data inconsistencies, the situation is fairly represented in the follow analysis.

• In 31% of projects, no efforts are made to form the user groups. Non APRLP projects did not attempt to form these institutions at all. In remaining watersheds also, the process of forming user groups is fairly weak. PIA/WDT decided the names of the user groups and their leaders. At the most, the purpose of the User Groups is explained to them in an informal meeting, by the village leaders and PIA. There seems to be a long way to form and strengthen user groups in watershed development projects.

• When user groups are formed, land or activity was used as basis for forming the groups. All farmers in a sub watershed were considered as user group. No specific efforts are made to form user group around common property resources.

• The main inputs provided to user group are - meetings (on regular basis or task linked); savings and bank linkages.

• The purpose of forming user group around private land is mainly to supervise the works and channel funds to the members for completed works.

• Only in limited number of cases (20% of watersheds) the user groups are able to maintain the assets created on their lands.