Watershed Development in Alfisols through Soil Conservation

Improvement of rainfed farming is key to development of agriculture and removal of poverty. To increase the production and productivity from dry land areas, the Government of India launched NWDPRA in different parts of the country including Karnataka. This was also implemented in Haveri district, demonstrating different soil conservation practices in different villages. Demonstrations were mainly conducted in major crops of the area like sorghum, groundnut, pulses, chillies and cotton. The study was conducted in Kadkol watershed of Karnataka. New crop varieties were introduced along with watershed treatment in different crops. Different soil conservation measures like contour bands, vegetative barriers, rubble check and contour cultivation had given more yields compared to conventional practices with local varieties. The farmers were also convinced to a great extent.