Drought Mitigation in Bundelkahand Grassland Ecosystem for Improving Livelihood of Farming Community-A Case Study

Bundelkhand grassland ecosystem (23º20´ and 26°20´N latitude and 78°20´ and 81°40´E longitude) is an undulating rain fed region (annual rain fall, 768-1087 mm) spread over an area of 7.08 m ha in central India in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. This region has to support 16 million human and 8.5 million animal populations. Area is prone to surface run off losses, severe soil erosion and increasingly more drought events, leading to only mono-cropping. Lively-hood of the people, which is mainly the live-stock rearing and marginal agriculture, is at stake. In-situ conservation of rain water, forage management, and environmental services are the main issues to be addressed at priority to enhance productivity per unit area of this biome. Development funds amounting to about 1000 million US$, provided for constructing sustainable infrastructure like check-dams, dug-wells, embankments, rising of crest height etc. has significantly improved the surface and ground water resources. Impact evaluation as discussed in this paper includes water resource development, watershed management, crop and live-stock productivity, and rural drinking water. A robust and resilient management system has been developed through farmer’s participatory integrated watershed management program. Major aim is in-situ conservation of the rain water and recharging the dug wells, open wells, village ponds, and farm ponds. It has remarkably improved the financial condition of farming community. Initiation of restoration process of this grassland biome has increased its carrying capacity by 41%. An additional 25% land area has come under irrigation resulting in increase of net-sown area by 11%, cropping intensity by 6%, and farm income by 35%