|
Watersheds |
Technical Papers... |
|
|
|
Notes for consideration by Shri. S. Parthasarathy
committee on Watershed Development Programmes....
by Dr. J. Venkateswarlu, Email -
jagarlapudi34@yahoo.co.in
They include rainfall and irrigated area, limited to
three ecosystems, viz. arid, semiarid and dry subhumid.
The updated districts that can be covered under the
said parameters. However with the changing paradigms,
the land use patterns are undergoing a sea change and
the degradation of the resource base is continually
increasing. Further, permanent pastures and grazing
areas as well as CPRs are also reducing both in area
and in quality of the forage. Added to this is the
increase in current fallows. And the groundwater is
fast depleting. The overall loss due to degradation in
India as per Human Resource Development Report (1998)
for the year 1992 is about US $ 10 - 13.8 billion
(about 4.5 to 6.0% of GDP). Unfortunately most of
these degraded areas are the habitat of the
disadvantaged communities except in waterlogged / salt
affected areas where there would be other communities
as well. They need correction for not only improving
the sustainability in production systems, but also to
meet the growing demands for food/food products.
For
full details ....
 |
|
Comprehensive Land Development of Assigned Lands...
by Dr. J. Venkateswarlu, Email -
jagarlapudi34@yahoo.co.in
The lands are quite an assorted lot proposed for
comprehensive development. There is both inter and
intra variability in terms of soils, water and
vegetation. Some are government lands, some are
‘bhoodan’ lands, some are purchased lands, some are
under irrigation etc. But most of them are unirrigated
/ rainfed areas, poor in quality (depth, texture,
slope, erosivity) with rolling terrain (multiple
slopes). A few parts of the lands are moderately good
or medium in quality. Most of these areas are
hinterlands and bestowed with logistic problems. They
are infested with several problems - boulders, pebbles
/ stones, bushes, scrub jungles, denuded pastures and
stumps of felled trees or overgrazed native grasses.
Slopes are often times more with distinct catenaries
situation - uplands, medium lands and lowlands. In
such cases the quality of land improves as move down
along the slope. Due to long fallows, the soil
fertility might have recouped in some cases and the
first year cropping would lead to higher productivity.
But in many cases soil organic matter, the one that
gives life to the soil, will be very very low. Then
available nitrogen, in particular, will also be low.
There could be problems of salt infestation (salinity
and alkali) or waterlogging or both in some of the
irrigated areas. In the high rainfall areas,
particularly tribal region (agency areas), soil
acidity could be a problem.
For full details ....
|
|
Changing Paradigms in Water Development and
Management Systems in Arid Zone of India...
by Dr. J. Venkateswarlu, Email -
jagarlapudi34@yahoo.co.in
Briscoe (2005) of the World Bank said that India would
face a turbulent water future. The water storage
capacity per caput, as on time, works out to a mere
200 m3 as against 1000 and 5000 m3 in the case of
China and USA. India can store water adequate of 30
days as against 900 days in arid areas of developed
countries. The situation could be still worse in arid
zone of the country. The report further states that
the decline in the quality of public irrigation and
water supply services may produce social unrest and
political pressure. The tube wells came as simple and
remarkable transformational technology, but he points
it out only as temporary. He further points out that
the gap between tariff and value of irrigation water
supply services have fuelled endemic corruption. The
Bank is proposing huge loans (upto $ 900 million /
year over a 4 year period) for mega dams but insists
an improving the governance of water resources. So the
Government must change from builder and controller to
creator of enabling environment of the actions of
large and small water users. But the catch would be
mainly on two issues. First, the location of the mega
dam need be in low rainfall areas for a high pay-off.
Political decisions may overrule this advantage,
because people in hinterland are less influential.
Second, the usual problems of displacement,
environment degradation and inequity besides sickness
outweigh the benefits of improved storage, irrigation,
drinking water, electricity, recreation and flood
control.
For
full details ....
|
|
Internalized Soil Productivity Management Systems....
by Dr. J. Venkateswarlu, Email -
jagarlapudi34@yahoo.co.in
A brief attempt is made to highlight the internalized
traditional soil productivity management systems in
crop production. Some background of the system is also
provided along with nutrient dynamics, with emphasis
on N. Wherever available, some mention on soil
physical condition is brought out. The external inputs
like silt and sand and use of small ruminants for
penning are excluded in this presentation.
Mixed cropping: Earlier, diversity was the
common feature in crop production system in rainfed
areas. The crops are grown in irregular patterns
either through broadcasting and/or mixing within row.
This has been identified as mixed cropping (Freyman
and Venkateswarlu 1977). Largely, mixed cropping is
practised by smallholders. And it is meant to meet the
household food and nutritional security. In fact, as
many as nine crops ("navadhanyalu") are used together
in mixed cropping systems. Even vegetables, including
leafy ones, are included. But all these systems are
primarily to meet the household requirements of the
tiller of the land.
For
full details ....
|
|
Resource Management Systems - Then and Now....
by Dr. J. Venkateswarlu, Email -
jagarlapudi34@yahoo.co.in
At first a few traditional systems of resource
management are presented. This is followed by a brief
discussion on a common pool resources and their
management. Then principles for rural ecosystem
rehabilitation are furnished. Finally an example of
participatory projectization in resource management is
provided.
Tradition system of resource management: Gadgil
and Berkes (1991) dealt with biodiversity, traditional
resources and their management systems. They opined
that the modern resource management science is well
suited, by design, for conventional exploitative
development, but not for sustainable use.
The rejection of a monolithic scientific resource
management vision does not mean the rejection of all
western science. The task is to develop a flexible
approach. Ecology as a science is concerned with the
whole (rather than its parts) components. It is
concerned with diversity and adaptiveness. It is not
monolithic.
For
full details ....
|
|
Contextualization of Agricultural Research for
Smallholders....
by Dr. J. Venkateswarlu, Email -
jagarlapudi34@yahoo.co.in
There is an increasing realization that the
smallholders who are 4/5th of our farmers need
exclusive research and development efforts. They are
the ecologically and economically disadvantaged
community that must receive due attention from the
public funded institutions as well as civil societies
in our democratic nation. A review of the efforts that
are presently in bits and pieces suggest there is
enormous wisdom in their valiant efforts to eke a
living through integrated farming systems. Much of the
technologies and development activities of the
Government and Industry do benefit the farmers, more
so the large holders or those who can take risks and
also afford such expensive systems. In the paper an
effort is made to examine the present scenario and the
view of some of the eminent persons in this regard. A
few suggestions have also been made for consideration
for enhancing the livelihood security of these
smallholders.
For full details ....
|
|
Seeds of Choice for Sustainable Agriculture....
by Dr. J. Venkateswarlu, Email -
jagarlapudi34@yahoo.co.in
It
gives me great pleasure to be with you, my esteemed
colleagues, to share some of my thoughts on seeds. I
am particularly grateful to Dr. Y.Yogeswara Rao,
President, Seedmen Association who picked up a soil
scientist to address such a distinguished gathering
interested in seed. I would like to choose the above
topic for the day. There are several stakeholders in
the seed. They include the farmers, the researchers,
the producers, the public and private seed extension
service providers. To me seed is the most critical
input in any production system - crops, horticulture,
fodder, forestry, medicinal and aromatic plants. Seeds
include traditional seeds, seedlings, cuttings, slips
grafts, tissue cultured plants, etc.
Further SEED implies,
S
Sustainable,
E
Ecological,
E
Economic, and
D
Development
of
the farmer....
For full details ....
|
|
Watershed Approach for Better Natural Resource
Management, Agricultural Productivity and Livelihoods
in Rainfed Areas - Experiences of India....
by Dr. J. Venkateswarlu, Email -
jagarlapudi34@yahoo.co.in
The concept of watershed is briefly discussed at the
first instance. Then the impact of the watershed
development programme (WDP) by different agencies is
discussed. Based on the lessons learnt, the possible
improvements in implementing WDP are presented.
Watershed Approach in Rainfed Areas: Several
agencies are implementing the Watershed Development
 Programmes
(WDPs). They aim at comprehensive area development on
watershed basis. A watershed is a hydrological unit
wherefrom the surplus runoff drains through a common
point (Fig.1). It has no geographical limits. It would
have land-holders (marginal, small, medium and large)
and landless persons. They may be of different
economic strata with uneven ecological settings and
aspirations. Any such area may have different classes
of land (arable as well as non-arable). The non-arable
area includes the common pool resources (CPRs) of land
and water and would provide runoff and biomass for use
by the habitants in the encompassed area on an
equitable basis. The community effort, largely taken
by NGOs and individuals, was on a habitat basis.
For full details ....
|
|
The Management of Water in Agriculture....
by Dr. J. Venkateswarlu, Email -
jagarlapudi34@yahoo.co.in
At the outset it is mentioned that the discussion
revolves mainly around groundwater and tank systems
with a brief mention on canal irrigation. Management
of rainfed crops is excluded in this presentation. The
irrigated area increased over the last 5 decades from
20.85 Mha to 57.05 Mha. But the points of concern is
the enormous grown in wells, tube wells in particular
during the period. The International Water Management
Institute estimates that there are over 10 million
tube wells as of now and 1.0 million are being added
every year in the country. The concern is not only on
the numbers, but also not on the quality of
groundwater in different places and the depletion
levels in groundwater extraction.
For full details ....
|
 Back
to top
|
|
