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ICRISAT watershed pilots in Anantapur Photo: Freddy · Pexels License · source ↗

ICRISAT watershed pilots in Anantapur

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, has run long-term participatory watershed development pilots in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh since the early 1990s. The Adarsha (Kothapally) model from Telangana was adapted and demonstrated in Anantapur villages, most notably at Devanakonda, Tumkur Cheruvu, JVR (Jaibharath Visweswara Reddy) and Velpumadugu micro-watersheds during the consortium phase (2002-2015). These pilots provided the technical evidence base for the Andhra Pradesh Drought Mitigation Project (APDMP) and the central Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) Watershed Development Component.

Principle

Anantapur kharif groundnut on hardsetting red soils faces severe in-season run-off losses (15-25 percent of seasonal rainfall) due to crust formation and limited infiltration. An integrated watershed treats the micro-catchment as the unit of intervention - run-off generated upstream is harvested in farm ponds and percolation tanks, sub-surface flow is intercepted by check dams and contour bunds, and the recharged groundwater is available for supplemental protective irrigation at critical crop stages. Combined with soil and crop management interventions, the watershed approach raises water-use efficiency, rebuilds soil organic carbon and stabilises kharif and rabi cropping in deficit-rainfall years.

Procedure - the ICRISAT consortium package

The watershed pilots followed a layered package developed by ICRISAT with ICAR-CRIDA, ANGRAU, DRDA and farmers:

  • Soil and water conservation works: contour bunding, gully plugs, check dams, percolation tanks and farm ponds (Farm Pond) sized for the catchment area; rainwater recharge pits (Rainwater Recharge Pits) on individual fields.
  • Crop intensification: introduction of short-duration groundnut (Kadiri-6, Kadiri-9), redgram intercropping, drought-tolerant millets (Finger Millet Ragi Cultivation, foxtail millet) and contingency cropping (Contingency Cropping Anantapur).
  • Supplemental irrigation: farm-pond water used through drip (Drip in Groundnut Rainfed) at critical crop stages.
  • Soil management: gypsum at peg initiation, summer ploughing, in-situ residue retention, micronutrient (zinc, boron) correction based on soil-test results, dust mulch (Dust Mulch in-situ Moisture).
  • Livelihood diversification: small ruminants (goat/sheep), backyard poultry, horticulture, vermicompost units.
  • Farmer collectives: Self-help groups, Pani Panchayats and Watershed Development Committees as implementation partners.

Where and when it applies

The watershed model applies to micro-catchments of 500-1,500 ha that share a single drainage line, with farmer collectives willing to coordinate land-use decisions. The biophysical pre-conditions are red gravelly to sandy-loam soils with slopes of 1-3 percent (typical of Anantapur, Kurnool, Chitradurga and Mahabubnagar). Implementation is typically through PMKSY-WDC, MGNREGS labour for construction, and state agriculture-department extension. ICRISAT's documented Anantapur pilot results showed kharif crop yield gains of 20-50 percent, groundwater table rise of 1-3 m over five years and a 25-40 percent increase in cropping intensity.

Limitations

Watershed development is land-and-time-intensive: full benefits accrue only after 4-7 years, and benefits are inequitably distributed - upstream farmers gain less from harvested run-off than downstream beneficiaries. Sustained farmer collective action is difficult; many APDMP watersheds collapsed back to individual decision-making once external facilitation ended. Recharge-tank silting and lack of repeat maintenance budgets are widespread issues. ICRISAT and CRIDA have advocated stronger institutional embedding through the Andhra Pradesh Community-Managed Natural Farming programme to address this.

See also: Farm Pond, Rainwater Recharge Pits, Contingency Cropping Anantapur, Dust Mulch In Situ Moisture, Drip in Groundnut Rainfed, Soil Organic Carbon Management.

Sources

  1. Adarsha Watershed Anantapur - ICRISAT model. ICRISAT, Patancheru.
  2. Watershed development for dryland agriculture. ICRISAT.
  3. Watershed-based farmer participatory development. ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture.