APRLP consortium to scale up watershed project

In the second phase, the consortium will develop 150 watersheds as compared to only 50 in the first phase.

The second phase is to be launched shortly in the five districts of Kurnool, Prakasam, Mahbubnagar, Anantapur and Nalgonda.

William Dar, the director-general of International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics (Icrisat), told newspersons here today that the first phase of 50 watersheds, which had begun in 2002, had not only resulted in better soil health and water conservation but also improved livelihood opportunities in the rural areas.

The successful use of information and communication technology tools for transfer of technical knowledge through distance learning was also a highlight of the programme, he said.

Impressed by the results of the second phase, the Department for International Development (DFID), UK, had offered to help in expanding the project from the originally envisaged 50 watersheds to 150, he informed.

M Samuel, the principal secretary (rural development), was all praise for the APRLP consortium, stating that it had immensely benefited poor farmers in dryland areas.

The livelihood support projects taken up along with watersheds consist of micro enterprises like vermi composting, village-based seed banks, nurseries by self-help groups etc.

The consortium had successfully demonstrated through the APRLP project, christened Jala Jeevani, that productivity and incomes could be enhanced significantly, as much as 100 per cent, using simple and cost-effective technologies and involving local communities, said Anil C Punetha, the state commissioner for rural development.

Dyno Keatinge, deputy director-general of Icrisat, said that Icrisat was keen to share the successful experience of watershed projects in Andhra Pradesh on a larger scale in other areas too.

The APRLP consortium consists of government agencies, Acharya NG Ranga Agriculture University (ANGRAU) and Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (Crida), National Remote Sensing Authority (NRSA) and others.

The non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are the Society for Development of Drought Prone Areas, Deena Janabhyudaya Seva Mandal, Development Institute for Sustainable Habitat etc.