SHIFT FROM SITE DEVELOPMENT TO SKILL DEVELOPMENT: A CASE STUDY OF WATER HARVESTING THROUGH MICRO CATCHMENTS
Hassnain Shah*, Nadeem Akmal*, Waqas Farooq*, Muhammad Azeem Khan* and Shahid Munir**
ABSTRACT
The present study was conducted to get insight about farmers' intention towards adoption of micro catchments as a useful tool for rainwater harvesting. The assessment of acceptability and compatibility of the intervention through farmers' perceptions, feed-back, practices and intentions regarding up-scaling the technology would develop the up-scaling and sustainability options for wider area. Under Watershed Rehabilitation and Irrigation Improvement Project besides other technologies, rainwater harvesting through micro catch-ments were demonstrated by Soil and Water Conservation Research Institute (SWCRI) in Pothwar area, Pakistan. The results highlight that the technology is not only suitable for in situ water conservation for fruit plants but also cost effective, water, labor and resource saving along with farmer friendly under rainfed condition with scare supplemental water availability. The cost of adoption of technology including labor charges for its preparation and maintenance was recovered from irrigation cost saved from single rainfall at the demonstration site. One of the important implications drawn in this regard was the need of a shift from site development to skill development. The same was derived as an important recommendation during assessment and evaluation of different demonstration and dissemination activities being conducted under Watershed Project. This shift could catalyze the technology adoption.
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