WATER CAN CHANGE FARMERS’ LIFE: A CASE FROM MAHARASHTRA

Assured water is one of the important inputs for good harvest which is sine qua non for Indian farmers and if water is assured then not only they will sustain but country can prosper, as we all know Gandhiji long ago mentioned, “India does not live in its towns but in its villages” (mkgandhi.org/gandhi on villages).In view of this, we have to focus on development of farmers as they have been providing us food by doing hard labour in all the seasons.Keeping in mind of these, inAhmednagar district of Maharashtra at Bahirwadi village ofAhmednagarblock by constructing awatershedin2001, many farmers as well as 400 acres of agricultural land have been benefitted. Of course rainfall (normal in the area is 500 millimetres) should be normal. Keeping in mind of this, a study was conducted in January 2018 about the crops grown, its production, farmers' individual family income etc., and for this few farmers were contacted and data were collected from them.