Project- Water Sector & Micro Water Shed Programme-Stop Dam Project Areas- Amala Gram Panchayat Block- Fanda District- Bhopal State- Madhya Pradesh. Features and Benefits Packaged RO Plant- Length 28.44 M, Height of Check Dam-1.50 M,Maximum Length of the water Spread 250 M, Volume of water Stored- 250x15x2.0=7500, M3 Out 240 acre-120 acre irrigated by 13500 Cubic Metre /3566322.7, Gallons/13499997.32 liters water conserved No. of Beneficiaries 20 Agriculture Land Irrigated-100 Acre Sponsoring Agency United Sprits Ltd (USL)

Objective of Project- Diageo has a watershed intervention in Village Amala Bhopal District in Fanda block, Madhya Pradesh. Amala, primarily dependent on agriculture, faced some dry spells resulting in the water table depleting, improper recharge, and drought conditions as there were no water catchment systems in place. The watershed project provided a solution for several problems such as water harvesting, surface run-o control, depleting water table, uneven siltation and soil erosion, inadequate pasturelands for the livestock (ghasnis) and even forest res. Several trenches check dams, irrigation.Strategy & Approach- Several trenches check dams, irrigation channels, gabions structures and contour bunds were constructed to channel and harvest water. Livelihood related interventions were also made, both agricultural and non-agricultural, to create income generation options. There are a number of activities being carried out to enable the grass-root institutions to maintain and manage the various assets created .With the objective of ensuring that the intervention be participatory in nature, a village watershed committee was constituted with representatives Public-Private Partnerships in CSR Diageo from all the villages, and was the interface between the community and the SVSS (NGO). It was also responsible for Implementing and carrying out all of the activities under the watershed project. The committee ensured that all information pertaining to the watershed project was communicated to the community, and could address grievances if any. Outcome of Project: Through this project, covering over 100 Acres, 30 household across village have befitted. With greater availability of water for irrigation, agricultural productivity increased signicantly. The agricultural inputs alongside augmented incomes of farmers other than the primary activity along with better pasture lands for better livestock management. Skill development and water resource management are just two of the many areas they intervene in. Both have shown considerable impact, and have made signicant changes in the lives and livelihoods of the community.

Improvement of Agricultural Statistics (IAS) Scheme

Improvement of Agricultural Statistics is a sub component of the scheme “Integrated Scheme on Agriculture Census, Economics & Statistics”. It is a salary-oriented scheme with 100 percent grants-in-aids to State Governments for the purpose of salary and other allowances to their employees engaged in the scheme activities. The basic objective of the scheme is to collect and improve agricultural statistics in the form of area, production and yield rate for the principal agricultural crops.

Improvement of Agricultural Statistics is a sub component of the scheme “Integrated Scheme on Agriculture Census, Economics & Statistics”. It is a salary-oriented scheme with 100 percent grants-in-aids to State Governments for the purpose of salary and other allowances to their employees engaged in the scheme activities. The basic objective of the scheme is to collect and improve agricultural statistics in the form of area, production and yield rate for the principal agricultural crops.

Natural disasters such as droughts, floods, cyclones, storms, landslides and earthquakes can lead to extreme distress and hardship among farmers who predominantly lead subsistence existence. In these situations, they need at least a minimal amount of relief at rapid pace. In the past, crop insurance has been the vehicle for such relief but crop insurance typically covers only those farmers who have outstanding loans from banks. This leaves out marginal farmers who are unable to borrow from the banks. It also leaves out landless workers who depend on agricultural employment but are themselves not farmers.

Agricultural markets in India have witnessed at best limited reforms during the
last three decades and the mandi system is characterized by inefficient physical operations, excessive crowding of intermediaries, long and fragmented mark: chains and low scale. This is depriving farmers of fair share of the price paid by the final consumer. Consequently farmers are seeking MSP for almost all crops and everywhere, which is not feasible. There is a need for paradigm shift from price centric direct intervention to non-price policy instruments. The aim should be to create enabling market environment for produce for higher price realization for farmers. Many of the steps necessary to achieve this are related to the reform of the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees Acts in the states. The farmer must be given the full right to sell her produce to whomsoever she wants in virtually all products. This would allow the farmer to minimize the number of intermediaries and receive a higher fraction of the price paid by the ultimate consumer. A well-functioning system of contract farming will go some distance towards providing a guaranteed price as well as necessary technical support to the farmer. With the corporate sector keen on investing in agribusiness to harness the emerging opportunities in domestic and global markets, time is opportune for reforms that would provide healthy business environment for this sector. In states that have repealed APMC Act or do not have it, there is need for the integration of their agricultural markets with National Agricultural Market. There is also need to apply the Essential Commodity Act more judiciously so as to make private
investments in the marketing and storage infrastructure more attractive.