Power Grid Corporation of India, Gurgaon, India, supported the ICRISAT-led consortium to improve rural livelihoods through farmer-centric integrated watershed management in Vijayapura district of Karnataka. Action sites were identified in Basavana Bagewadi taluk in Karnataka considering the representativeness in terms of soils, landscape, rainfall, crops, socio-economic conditions and other parameters such as willingness of farmers and potential to develop.The overall goal of this initiative is to increase agricultural productivity and improve the livelihoods of rural poor in fragile dryland areas on a sustainable basis by enhancing the impact of integrated watershed management programs in the country through capacity-building initiatives using the ‘site of learning’ model in low-rainfall agro-ecoregions. The specific goal of this initiative is to increase agricultural productivity and improve rural livelihoods sustainable in selected villages.
The specific objectives of the project are:
To establish “Model Sites of Learning” for harnessing the potential of rainfed areas by adopting the integrated water resource management approach;
To enhance water availability and its (green and blue water) use efficiency for diversifying the livelihood systems in the target villages by adopting integrated water resource management approach; and
To build capacity of the farmers in the region for improving rural livelihoods through knowledge sharing and dissemination strategy
