Post on 02-Apr-2018
NREGA / Watershed Development; Implications for Green Jobs and Climate Change
Prof. Ravindranath
Indian Institute of Science
Bangalore
What is the issue • Can Employment Generation, Rural
Development, Agricultural Development and Poverty Alleviation programs
– create Green Jobs?
– lead to adaptation to climate risks and climate change
– contribute to Mitigation of Climate Change
– generate Environmental Services
• YES
Developmental Programs 1. MG-NREGA – Rural Empl. program
2. Watershed Development
3. National Afforestation Program – Community forestry/JFM/Greening
Mission
4. Desert Development
5. Minor irrigation program
6. Soil and Water Conservation program
7. Sustainable Agriculture Development
Implications of Developmental Programs
• Most of these program aimed at Natural Resources lead to conservation / regeneration of NR – Soil, Water, Forest, Grazing land
• Generate Environmental Services – Ground water recharge, Soil and Water conservation,
Biodiversity conservation
• Climate Change related implications
–Adaptation; Ground Water recharge, soil & Water conservation, Agro-forestry, soil organic matter enhancement, etc
–Mitigation; Agro-forestry, Afforestation, Soil Org. Matter enhancement
Objectives of MNREGA Program
• To enhance livelihood security in rural areas by providing
–at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every household
• whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work
Works / Activities implemented under NREGA 1. Water conservation and water harvesting; 2. Drought proofing, including Afforestation and tree
plantation; 3. Irrigation canals, including micro and minor irrigation
works; 4. Provision of irrigation facility, plantation, horticulture,
land development 5. Renovation of traditional water bodies, including de-
silting of tanks; 6. Land development; (Conservation bench terracing (CBT), Contour and
graded bunding, field bunding, pasture development)
7. Flood-control and protection works, including drainage in waterlogged areas;
8. Rural connectivity to provide all-weather access. 9. Any other work that may be notified by the Central
Government in consultation with the State Government.
NREGA Employment Generation
Type of works 2011-2012 2010-2011 2009-2010 2008-2009 2007-2008
No. of households provided employment
3,82,94,824 5,57,63,244 52,8,64,608 4,55,18,907 3,43,26,563
No. of households who have demanded employment
3,78,55,866 5,49,54,225 5,25,30,453 4,51,15,358 3,39,09,132
Person days in millions
Total 1208 2571 2835 2163 1436
Women
596
1227
1364
1035
610
NREGA Activities & Employment Type of works 2011-2012 2010-2011 2009-2010 2008-2009
Land Development
107,965 425,494 342,465 189,517
Flood control 34,103 111,054
95,953 62,554
Water conservation & Harvesting
121,809 537,848 629,833 248,167
Drought proofing 48,270 142,963 115,843 75,443
Micro Irrigation Works
26,780 232,384 151,655 66,173
Provision of Irrigation facility to Land
116,966 408,582 360,831 238,088
Renovation of Traditional Water bodies
39,067 236,166 162,736 92,519
Environmental and socio-economic Services: NR conservation & Socio-Economic Benefits from NREGA Works
Water conservation
& harvesting
• Groundwater recharge
• Reduced water erosion
• Irrigation availability
• Sustained livelihoods
Irrigation • Irrigation water availability
• Improved agricultural crop yields, sustained yields
• Secured livelihoods
Land development • Reduced soil erosion, hence improved soil quality
• Improved / sustained agricultural yields
• Agricultural productivity
Drought Proofing -
Afforestation
• Fuelwood and fodder availability
• Biodiversity conservation
• Erosion control and soil quality improvement
• Flood control
Renovation of traditional
water bodies
• Ground water recharge, soil fertility
improvement, increased crop productivity
Environmental Services from NREGA
Local ES 1. Soil fertility improvement 2. Groundwater recharge 3. Increased irrigation water
availability 4. Increased drinking water
availability 5. Soil & water conservation 6. Increased grass,
fuelwood, NTFP availability
7. Erosion & Flood control
Regional / Global ES 1. Carbon Sequestration 2. Biodiversity
conservation 3. Improved adaptive
capacity 4. Vulnerability
reduction to current climate risks
Desilting of water storage bodies
• Loss of vegetation cover, over grazing and inappropriate cultivation practices in the catchment – leads to soil erosion and silting – loss of water storage capacity
• Reduction of ground water recharge – due to silt pan formation
--------------------------------------------------------------------- • Desilting activity involves removal of silt from
the water body using human labour
• Farmers are encouraged to collect the silt and apply to crop fields to improve soil fertility – The tanks are largely used as percolation tanks
Environmental services from desilting: indicators and methods
Environmental services
Indicators of environmental service and units
Methods of estimation
Increased water availability
Groundwater level in bore wells (meters water level)
PRA and hydrological measurements
Area irrigated (hectares) PRA and secondary data
Water storage capacity (cubic meter)
Hydrological modeling
Groundwater recharge
Groundwater level in bore wells (meters water level)
PRA and hydrological measurements
Water percolation (cubic meter) Hydrological modeling
Increased and stable crop yields
Soil fertility (percent organic matter, silt and clay percent, nitrogen in kg/ha)
Soil sampling and laboratory analysis
Changes in crop yield (percent) PRA
Changes in soil organic carbon of cropland soils with silt application
In all 6 villages silt was removed and transported In 5 of the villages silt was applied to cropland
Vulnerability Climate Risks Assessment
1. Water vulnerability index – changes in groundwater level (m)
– area irrigated (ha)
– irrigation availability (days/y)
– storage capacity of the water body (cubic meter)
2. Agriculture vulnerability index – area irrigated (ha)
– irrigation availability (days/y)
– soil fertility index (OC and NPK)
– groundwater level (m)
3. Livelihood vulnerability index – work availability during
summer
– changes in wage income
– financial investment under NREGA at the village level
4. Overall vulnerability index – linear aggregation of
• Water
• agriculture and
• livelihood indices
Vulnerability Reduction; different indices- water, Agric., Livelihood
9.18.3
3.0
7.16.3
0.20.0
4.0
8.0
12.0
Water Agriculture Livelihood
Dharmapura
4.7 4.53.0
4.7 4.4
1.0
0.0
4.0
8.0
12.0
Water Agriculture Livelihood
Gowdanahalli
11.9 11.4
3.02.4 2.2
0.4
0.0
4.0
8.0
12.0
Water Agriculture Livelihood
Kandikere
11.0 10.6
3.0
5.9 5.4
0.00.0
4.0
8.0
12.0
Water Agriculture Livelihood
Koverahatti
Bars represent Pre and post NRGEA respectively
0.7
0.8
0.2
0.5
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
Dharmapura Gowdanahalli Kandikere Koverahatti
Pre NREGA Post NREGA
Overall Vulnerability Reduction – Pre and post NREGA
Conclusions from NREGA - Chitradurga Study
• The study demonstrated the potential of Employment Focused NREGA activities to provide environmental services
– Increased ground water percolation & recharge
– Enhanced water storage in water bodies
– Increase in soil fertility
– Reclamation of degraded lands
– Carbon sequestration
• Reduce vulnerability of production systems and livelihoods
– Improved Water supply, soil fertility improvement,
Conclusions 1. Rural Employment programs aimed at
Natural Resources (soil, water, forests, grassland) contribute
– Generation of Env Services + Conservation /
Regeneration of NR + Adaptation to CV / CC
– Sustain water, Agric production, livelihood
2. Need for convergence of Empl Scemes with NR conservation
- National level at the Ministry level
- Village level – technical capacity
3. Adaptation current climate risks – also enhances Adaptation to future CC
National Watershed Development Programme
Ministry of Rural Development has administered 3 area-based watershed programmes for development of wastelands/degraded lands namely Drought Prone Areas Programmes (DPAP), Desert Development Programme (DDP) and Integrated Wastelands Development Programme (IWDP)
No. of project sanctioned
Area covered (in million ha.)
Total funds released by Centre (Rs. in crores)
DDAP 27439 13.0 2837.81
DDP 15746 7.8 2103.23
IWDP 1877 10.7 2797.56
Grand Total 45062 32.3 7738.60
Details of projects sanctioned and funds released from 1995-96 to 2007-2008
Watershed program – CC/CV Adaptation; Vulnerability Reduction
ACTIVITIES – Water conservation – Land development – Soil conservation – Agro-forestry – Diversified agriculture
and livelihoods – Afforestation – Horticultural crops
LEAD TO - Reduced vulnerability - Enhanced - adaptive
capacity of the poor
THROUGH • Land development –
improved soil water holding capacity, reduced soil erosion
• Water conservation – Potential for dry season crops, increased irrigation
• Multiple crops & tree crops – to cope with the fluctuating rains
• Employment security – Forestry & horticultural incomes, income during non-agricultural seasons
Watershed program - Mitigation & Green jobs
Climate change mitigation
Soil carbon enhancement Mulching Organic matter addition crop residue turnover
Multiple cropping
Carbon sequestration thro
tree planting Afforestation of catchment
area Agro-forestry on crop lands Horticulture on crop lands
Creation of Green jobs thro watershed activities
Desilting of tanks
Renovation of traditional water bodies
Afforestation of catchment area
Land development
Water conservation
Provision of irrigation facility
Agro-forestry
Mitigation – Adaptation Synergy – in Watershed
1. Watershed provides excellent opportunity for promoting M&A synergy
2. Multiple environmental and socio-economic benefits
3. Cost – effectiveness of investment due to multiple benefits
4. Political acceptability of both M&A strategy to address climate change
5. Attractiveness to Donor agencies
CC Impact & Adaptation Strategy
• Need for research for assessing the CC impacts at district / watershed level to assist decision making
– Water resources, droughts, floods, crop yields, forest distribution and fire, biodiversity, fisheries..
• Need to identify and rank vulnerable; – Sectors, regions / areas /communities….
• Study the adequacy of current traditional adaptation practices to droughts, floods, forest fires, etc
• Need to develop adaptation practices and strategies
• Mainstream CC adaptation in developmental progs: – Agricultural development, forest management, watershed
development, fisheries development, irrigation projects, drought relief programs, etc
– What incremental actions needed
• Develop and implement pilot adaptation projects