EXPERINCES IN IMPLIMENTING

WATERSHED PROGRAMMES IN THE

BACKWARD DISTRICT OF THE STATE OF
GUJARAT, INDIA

WATERSHED – A BOON FOR THE FARMER COMMUNITY

Background:
Holistic Child Development India(HCDI), A National level Non-profit Organization
committed to the upliftment of marginalized communities and their families with child
centered approach, initiated its first watershed programme in the degraded areas of
Navapura, a village in the District of Dahod , Gujarat state of India way back in the year
2001-02

Bhil tribe, the predominant community in that area requested HCDI through the project
partner, Society of the Divine Word, a Catholic Church order , based at Muvalia, if they
could do something to bring in water, for them to drink as their women have to walk
more than 2-3 kms, daily to fetch 2 pots of water. Their cattle don’t get water to drink
unless they are taken to far distances towards a water source. Undulating lands with
eroded soils cannot contain water even during rainy season leading to runoff taking away
whatever fertile soil is left. This hampered crop production. Farmers can only afford to
grow Kharif crops especially Maize. If rains fail to come in time there is always a crop
loss.

Definition of watershed and HCDI’s Approach:

HCDI defines watershed management as the process of guiding and organizing use of
land, livestock, water, forest and people in a watershed in order to achieve sustainability
in the provision of desired goods and services to the people without adversely affecting
the available soil and water resources. This definition takes into account the
interrelationships and establishes synergies among land use, soil and water, the linkages
between uplands and downstream areas, and the numerous types of stakeholders involved
in a target region. Technically watershed is geo-hydrological unit of area, which drains
the entire runoff to a single natural outlet.  

HCDI’s approach to watershed plus management ( “plus” here includes allied activities
like agriculture, silvi- pastoral, horticulture, organic farming etc) is built around
encouraging people’s participation, on the premise that a watershed development project
can become sustainable only when target communities own, maintain and improve
project-created assets.
 Pre – Watershed – Barren lands

During Watershed – Measures being implemented

 Post Watershed – Better and health Crops

Processes involved
During the visits of HCDI and its main supporting partner – Kindernothilfe (KNH)
officials it was felt that on an experimental basis, one village will be totally considered
for taking up watershed activity, in line with “Ridge to valley principle” and 6 others will
be partly covered with soil- water conservation measures in which the following aspects
are addressed:

1. Study of the land and plan for suitable measures related to soil conservation
2. Study of the water catchment areas (drainage line) and plan for water harvesting
structures
3. Build capacity of the community to involve in planning, participation, monitoring
of the designed programmes.
4. Build capacity of the community to lobby with the Govt, other institutions, for
resource mobilization for improving their own development
5. Provide inputs related to enhancing crop productivity, add on activities like
promotion of organic farming, plantations , quality seeds, mushroom cultivation ,
kitchen gardening etc
Purpose
The overall purpose in executing this project is to bring in increased availability of water(
and soil moisture) for agriculture(thus leading to production and food security), and
domestic use, livestock development which in turn contributes towards better health and
hygiene, increased intake of food items by the community, and devote more time and
resources for the children.

Methodology adopted in implementing Watershed Programmes-

The following step are followed:

 Conduct village body meetings (Gramsabha ) and ascertain their needs and
priorities the problems
 Needful PRA’s, Baseline data’s are collected for proposal preparation
 Exposure visits for the key leaders and to the community
 In subsequent Gramsabha meetings resolutions are adopted pertaining to
undertaking the measures, agreement on wages, time / period of work , quality
 Formation of CBO’s – VDC/WDC/ User groups/ SHG etc
 Exposure visit for the CBO’s as part of their strengthening and understanding of
the works
 Hold Community awareness programme at the village level on various issues
affecting them
 Motivate the community for Voluntary/shramdaan work
 Initiate Participatory planning
 Conduct orientation Training to VDCs and SHGs
 Provide Trainings to village workers/animators
 Recruit and orient project team
 Implementation of watershed work
 Work assessment
 Periodic meeting of VDCs
 Implementation of production and livelihood related activities
 Implementation of education and health activities
 Exposure on Production and Livelihood activities
 Facilitate in periodic meetings of gramsabha
 Internal monitoring
 Monthly meeting of project staff
 External monitoring by HCDI
 Annual SHG gathering
 Organization of different trainings and exposures continues during project period
 Linkage building for the CBO’s as part of Sustainability
Project Strategies

The driving principles of the project is participation, livelihood enhancement,

sustainability and equity including the gender dimension. The project will be planned and
implemented by the community and CBOs and the project staff will be facilitators of the
process, so that the community’s capacity is built to manage future development and
assets created under the project in the post implementation phase. All attempts will also
be explored to hand over the financial management responsibilities related to activity
implementation to the community and in a gradual manner (may be from phase 2) with
necessary systems for transparency and accountability such as social auditing by the
community, display of work and expenditure, participatory monitoring of assets created,
its quality, quantity, impacts and expenditure. The CBOs will have representation of all
sections especially women and landless. Every village and hamlets will be having a
number of CBOs involved in project planning and implementation.

VDCs will be the overall responsible/executive organisation and at least 50% of

members in the VDC will be women. SHGs involving at least 60% of the adult women
from each village will be organized in to SHGs (already 60 SHGs are organized in
project villages). These CBOs will be having regular meetings to plan and implement
project activities. Participation is envisaged in all aspects of the project cycle- community
coming together and deciding on the nature of institutions, norms and rule regarding
resource development, management and use, planning, implementing, monitoring and
maintaining the assets. The emphasis will be on processes and clearly defined process
steps will be developed in consultation with the community.

To ensure participation as well as to empower the CBOs and community, a well-designed

capacity building strategy is evolved. It will include, farmer to farmer extension and
learning through exposures and knowledge and skill building through training and
participatory learning techniques.

Post Watershed – Improved water availability

Outputs Achieved:
A. Under Bhil Community Development Project – Dahod, Gujarat(22355)
Particulars No. of Beneficiaries
a) Total Land treated – 2185 hectares
b) Total cultivated land improved through
suitable measures- 1743 hectares
434
c) Total uncultivated land improved for
crop cultivation – 442 hectares
d) No. of water harvesting structures created 345
– 26
e) No. of SHG’s formed - 96 1160
f) Total savings – SHG women Rs 15,84,073
g) Total savings – SHG men Rs4,43,604
h) No. of youth benefitted through skill 401
trainings
i) Total children benefited through ECC – 436
educational and health programmes School going : 311
j) Enrollment in school 100& by 2007
k) Dropout rate by 2007 17%
l) Impact on Migration Year 2000 – 80% migration
Year 2007 – 20%
m) Increase in Crop yields Maize from 2 quintal in 2003 to 6 quintal in 2008
(In case of some farmers the yield in maize decreased as they have (300% average)
diversified into other crops like paddy and pulses)
n) Increase in Livestock Buffaloes – 453%
Bullocks – 194%
Sheep/Goats – 234%
o) Increase in water level in wells Pre – watershed – Navapura – zero
(May2002) Bilwa – 0.91 m

Post watershed- Navapura – 2.74m

(May 2007) Bilwa – 1.83m
p) Plantations programme to improve the 73% of the 48651 plants survived
green cover
q) New crops taken up by farmers apart Pulses, Soyabean, Paddy, wheat
from traditional crop - maize

D. Kiran Babu
Programme Coordinator
Child Focused Community Development Programmes