Impact of National Watershed Development Program on Production System in Western Rajasthan

Abstract

The present study was conducted in arid areas of Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan, where National Watershed Development Program (NWDP) for rainfed areas was launched. Total 150 beneficiaries were randomly selected from 30 watersheds. The respondents were personally interviewed with the help of pretested interview schedule. Study revealed that the drastic change was noted in agricultural production. Regarding change in area of crop it was found that before implementation of the project clusterbean (37.37%) was the principal crops followed by pearl millet (35.75%), sesame (8.73%) and mustard (6.38%), whereas after implementation of the project, clusterbean (32.29%) was main crop followed by pearl millet (28.72%), mung bean (11.34%), and mustard(6.03%). Total cropped area was increased by 30.09%. Regarding the yield, maximum yield was increased in case of wheat (94.56%) followed by sorghum (81.62%) and groundnut (43.84%).