Support for improved program integration under rainfed areas

UAS Raichur has entered MoU with the project implementing agency, Watershed Development Department, GoK, Bengaluru in January 2014, for the period of six years (2014 - 2019). Sujala-III project funded by the World Bank, to strengthen the science base watershed planning and management in IWMP through soil related constraints and potentials, hydrological and climatic dynamics. It is envisaged to converge innovations and decision support system to help address the needs of rainfed farmers and feed these into the watershed planning and implementation system. The project would strengthen the bottom-up approach in engaging the rainfed farmers with extension delivery systems and agriculture schemes to increase opportunities to adopt new technologies on a novel scientific basis. UAS Raichur is allotted with 430 microwatersheds from Kalburgi, Yadgir and Raichur districts with total outlay of Rs 1681.21 Lakhs. To achieve the objectives Under Component-1 ‘Support for improved program integration under rain-fed areas’ of Sujala-III project, UAS Raichur project is being operated under Directorate of Research, and has established state-of-the-art RS&GIS lab, Soil Testing Laboratory (STL) and Data Centre at Agricultural college, Raichur, and Strengthened the STL at AC, B'gudi, established Socioeconomic lab and STL at AC, Kalaburagi, and also equipped Dept. of Soil Water Engineering at College of Agril. Engineering, Raichur for hydrological and climatic investigations. UAS Raichur has shown substantial progress in physical (430 microwatesheds) and financial (100%). Distributing LRI cards (Soil health +LCC+AWC+ Crop suitability+ LMU) to the farmers covered under these micro watersheds in kannada language and also received appreciations from the WDD and the World Bank Mission team for successful implementation of soil and water conservation measures at Dotikol (Kalburgi), Kolur-Lingera (Yadgir) and Chhatra (Raichur) Sub watersheds in coordination with the KSDA officials. Submitted 65,000 (till December, 2019) LRI Cards to Kalburgi, Yadgir and Raichur project officers of Agriculture Department. The spatial data generated (53 theme based LRI maps for each microwatershed) would help in implementation of suitable crops to land, and hydrological structures to conserve soil and water. Further identification of soil variables influencing crop yield would help beeter management of agricultural inputs and for maintaining land health at cadstral level (1:8000 scale).