Short description of the best practice

Holistic treatment of the catchment area based on watershed approach. Participatory micro-planning and Site specific Drainage line treatment measures. Linkages of water harvesting structures with the user groups to strengthen their livelihood conditions. Promotion of production activities and IGAs through formation and strengthening of Self Help Groups with more focus on socially disadvantaged sections of society.

Location

22 sub-watersheds of Una District,Himachal Pradesh |

Brief description of the natural environment within the specified location.

Undulated  topography in upper catchment area and plain valley area
Alluvium type. Degraded loose strata in the catchment area
Sub tropical Hot and humid
Temperature:
Av. Max Temp: 45o C
Av. Minimum temp: - 3.5o C
Rainfall:
Av. Maximum: 175.00 mm in rainy season.

Prevailing socio-economic conditions of those living in the location and/or nearby

Agriculture is the primary source of income. Most of the people are marginal farmers having marginal land (< 1 Ha).
Agriculture and labour

On the basis of which criteria and/or indicator(s) (not related to The Strategy) the proposed practice and corresponding technology has been considered as 'best'?

Improvement of ecological conditions of the catchment area and reverse the trend of degradation of natural resources.
Strong linkages of communities in planning and implementation of various interventions.
Established O&M mechanism for better  management and sustainability of the assets.

Main problems addressed by the best practice

Degradation of natural resources.
| Flood & drought |Soil erosion|Low agriculture and forest production

Outline specific land degradation problems addressed by the best practice

Soil erosion due fragile ecology of the area.

Specify the objectives of the best practice

Soil & water conservation
|Improvement in agriculture & forest productivity|Livelihood improvement|Institution Building

Brief description of main activities, by objective

Soil Protection and Land Reclamation ( Pvt. Land)
1. Soil Protection in damaged Private Land
2. Soil Reclamation in damaged Private Land
Civil works for soil & water management.
DLT works: Small Scale Check Dam (Brush wood, Dry stones, Crate wire structure and drop structure), Large Scale Check Dam (Silt Detention and Water Harvesting Structures), Spur & Embankments, Ground silt.
1. Afforestation (Government land Private land) in participatory mode.
2. Site specific soil Protection Works
Livelihood Improvement : Implementation of activities through the formation & strengthening of Panchayat level institution- Panchayat Development Committee
1.Production Activities ( Agriculture, Horticulture & animal Husbandry)
2. Community Infrastructures
3. IGAs
|Institutional Building
1.Training & capacity building of various stakeholders.

Short description and technical specifications of the technology

Participatory micro-planning- Participatory Rural Appraisals, Transact walk, site selection, Selection of beneficiaries, design of major civil structure and institutional development, preparation of technical manuals and guidelines.|

Name and address of the institution developing the technology

Krishi Vigyan Kendra|Una, Himachal Pradesh|Regional research Station - University of Horticulture & Forestry  |Jatch, Una, Himachal Pradesh|Krishi Vigyan Kendra|Tepla, Ambala, Haryana|National Dairy Research Institute|Karnal, Haryana|Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry|Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh|BAIF foundation |Pune

Was the technology developed in partnership?

No

Specify the framework within which the technology was promoted

• Local initiative
• Programme/project-based initiative

Was the participation of local stakeholders, including CSOs, fostered in the development of the technology?

Yes

List local stakeholders involved:

Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Una
|Regional Horticulture Research Statiom, Jatch

For the stakeholders listed above, specify their role in the design, introduction, use and maintenance of the technology, if any.

Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Una and Regional Horticulture Research Station, Jatch are imparting in field trainings to the farmers on production activities (Vegetables, Spices, Floriculture etc.). Emphasis is being given to introduce high value cash crops in the area at low cost technologies to get better economic returns.

Was the population living in the location and/or nearby involved in the development of the technology?

Yes

By means of what?

• Consultation
• Participatory approaches

Describe on-site impacts (the major two impacts by category)

Increase in productivity
Increase in income level
Change in cropping pattern. People are adopting new high value crops instead of  traditional crops
Improvement in tree cover and ecological improvement in the catchment area
Socio-economic empowerment
Soil & water conservation, flood moderation and recharging of aquifers

Describe the major two off-site (i.e. not occurring in the location but in the surrounding areas) impacts

Improvement in biodiversity
Recharging of traditional water resources

Were incentives to facilitate the take up of the technology provided?

Were incentives to facilitate the take up of the technology provided?

Yes

Specify which type of incentives:

• Financial incentives (for example, preferential rates, State aid, subsidies, cash grants, loan guarantees, etc)

Replicability

In your opinion, the best practice/technology you have proposed can be replicated, although with some level of adaptation, elsewhere?

Yes

At which level?

• Local
• Subregional

Related to human resources

Enhanced skill development resulted into effective planning , implementation and management of  natural resources
|Significant role of women in natural resource conservation.

Related to technical aspects

Technical aspect is integral part of watershed management progarmme for the better planning & execution of works.
Technical inputs are required right from site selection, designing & costing and improvement in the livelihood conditions of the beneficiaries.|