Solar Pump Based Lift Irrigation System – Tribal Area Development Department & SWACH Project Udaipur
The scheme provided water for irrigation in 37.15 hectares of land in 49 villages that helped farmers to cultivate Kharif, Rabi.
Problem
- The villages in the project area had little to no irrigation facilities
- Farmers were cultivating only rain-dependent crops leading to economic despair
- The cost of electricity for irrigation projects was high
- People were fearful of the possible heavy charges for irrigation facilities
- There was a migration of people to urban areas in search of jobs
Solution
- The energy sources for irrigation facilities were switched from conventional to solar
- Conversion of rainfed agriculture to assured irrigated agriculture was done
- With the help of irrigation facilities, unused backwater from the dam was used
- Drinking water facilities were made available for the tribals
- Tribals were helped by establishing allied economic activities such as dairy, animal husbandry
Outcomes
- The Solar based Lift Irrigation Scheme provided water for irrigation in 37.15 hectares of land in 49 villages and has helped farmers to cultivate Kharif, Rabi and even Jayad crops
- Switch from traditional crops to cash crops helped in generating more revenue, which decreased poverty in the area
- The project ensured the availability of vegetables and nutritious food in the community
- The project helped in overcoming the malnutrition problem in the tribal areas
- Helped in establishing allied agriculture activities like dairy, animal husbandry, food processing etc. leading to income generation
- Empowered the economic status of people in the tribal community
Project Details
Category: Agriculture
Project: Solar Pump Based Lift Irrigation System
Organisation: Tribal Area development Department & SWACH Project Udaipur
Start Date: 15-Jul-2015
https://tad.rajasthan.gov.in/
Problem
The project was implemented in 49 villages with 37.15 hectares of land area. These villages did not have any kind of irrigation facilities and farmers were only cultivating the rain-dependent Kharif crops. Their economic conditions were very poor. There was a need for an alternative source of energy to make the irrigation facility affordable. However, it was a difficult task to convince the villagers for the same because the people were reluctant to implement the scheme because of fear of heavy expenses in post-project management chargeable to them. Also, the organisation had no previous experience with such a community based solar lift irrigation scheme. The unwillingness of youth and community toward agriculture was the other problem as they were migrating to the cities in search of livelihood opportunities.
Solution
This drive helped in providing costless irrigation facilities to poor tribes by switching to alternative sources of Energy (Solar) from traditional ones (Electrical). It helped in the utilisation of unused backwater from the dam. As the terrain is undulating and the net cultivable land is in small fragments so through the implementation of this scheme every piece of land is utilised for agriculture. The next part was the conversion of rainfed agriculture to assured irrigated agriculture and check on migration of village communities for labour and employment along with the arrangement of drinking water facilities. The drive had a motive of convincing the community towards agriculture from other alternative instant cash-paying jobs like labour etc. There was a CLIS committee formation by the beneficiaries and nominating chairperson of the committee under the supervision of SWACH, where a Liaising was done between PRI and the Committee in selecting a proper site where sufficient water is available for surveying the area and collecting the data for deployment/implementation. A project report was prepared which was sanctioned for the implementation of the CLI Scheme through the committee under the supervision of SWACH.
Outcomes
The drive proved successful as it generated employment in the area and stopped outward migration. The Solar based Lift Irrigation Scheme provided water for irrigation in 37.15 hectares of land in 49 villages and has helped farmers to cultivate Kharif, Rabi and even Jayad crops. Also, the diversion from traditional crops to cash crops helped in generating more revenue which decreased poverty in the area. The availability of vegetables and nutritious food to the community also helped in overcoming the malnutrition problem especially in the tribal area. This also helped in establishing allied agriculture activities like dairy, animal husbandry and food processing. Thus empowering the tribes economically and creating local employment made this drive successful.