Journal of AgriSearch, 7(4):234-240 1* 2 3 4 PAWAN JEET , BHUPENDRA M GHODKI , DOLAMANI AMAT , ANUJA AR , 5 6 REKHA BALODI AND A UPADHYAYA ISSN : 2348-8808 (Print), 2348-8867 (Online) https://doi.org/10.21921/jas.v7i04.19396 An Open Access International Peer Reviewed Quarterly Enhancement of Land and Water Productivity through Participatory Rural Appraisal 1Scientist, ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, Bihar, India 2Scientist, ICAR-Central Institute of Post-harvest Engg. & Tech., Ludhiana, Punjab, India 3Scientist, ICAR- Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India 4Scientist, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, New Delhi, India 5Scientist, ICAR- National Research Centre for Integrated Pest Management, New Delhi, India 6Head and Principal Scientist, ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, Bihar, India *Corresponding author email : pawan.btag@gmail.com Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) is a technique which gives more emphasis on indigenous knowledge enable locals to do their own appraisal, analysis and planning in the participatory mode. In this study, for the problem identification, problem-solution and preparation of village development plan SWOT analysis and PRA tools was used at Bhargawan village of Satna district, India. The rank-based quotient (RBQ) was calculated in order to prioritize the identified problems and their solution was given using problem- solution tree technique. Findings indicated low land and water productivity, unavailability of irrigation water, aira partha, Soil sickness with Fusarium, mismanagement of animal waste and crop residue as constraints faced by the farmers of village. Constraints identified were categorized as problems arising out of gaps in research/extension activities in various agriculture and allied sectors. Based on the results and necessity of the villagers, scope for research/extension and village agriculture development programme/policy implications was made. Village agriculture development plan (VADP) of Bhargawan village will help the policymaker/NGOs/State govt. in the planning and management of soil, water and agriculture resources. Water scarcity, PRA, RBQ, VADP, SWOT analysis. KEYWORDS ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION 234 A griculture is the essential pillar contributing to the livelihood security of rural India. Contribution of agriculture and allied sectors to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is declining steadily with the country broad- based economic growth ( ). Water scarcity along with pest and diseases in the crops are major limiting factors for land and water productivity ( ). Bhargawan village has very less area under horticultural crops. It is facing problems of regular occurrence of terminal droughts, declining water level, dry spells, terminal heat stress and frost etc. Canal irrigation is negligible and groundwater is the only a major source of irrigation, which is approximately 75 % of total irrigation in the district ( ). Under such circumstances, in this village there is a huge scope for adoption of water advance technology, on-farm water management technology, artificial groundwater recharge technology and so on. The Livestock population faces fodder as well as water shortage during drought years, prevalence of local breeds is a major limiting factor affecting system productivity. In Bhargawan village, Satna district Aira Pratha is majorly prevalent during non-monsoon season, in which animals are left loose for open grazing resulting in crop loss, soil degradation, social conflicts, inbreeding in animals and spread of diseases. Further, wild animals like wild boar and nilgai cause problems in the farms. The overall agricultural productivity of the area can be enhanced by use of drought tolerant varieties and management of the pest and diseases. The village has potential for growing horticultural crops like seasonal vegetables, fruits like mango, guava, aonla and medicinal plants like satavar, ashawgandha, etc. The villagers can generate income from animals by breed improvement and fodder management. There is also potential for income generation from non-farm activities like phenyl making, surf making etc. There is abundance of labor but constructive employment opportunities are lacking. Despite of sufficient natural resources, abundance of minerals, forest & agricultural produce, and livestock in this area, no any proper planning and management strategies adopted for the optimum utilization of these resources for the village development plan ( ). By considering above such problem, village agriculture development programme is planned using Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) technique. Participatory Rural Appraisal is an approach to development planning and as a method of investigation evolved from many different sources to be utilized in a participatory mode ( ). It is essential for providing basic information, identifying and assessing problems, appraising, designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluation programs and projects, developing and transferring appropriate technologies, hypothesis generation, providing guidelines for survey designs and assessing the applicability of programme, and interpreting the results obtained through different methods ( ). In this study various PRA tools were used for the identification of problems, ranking of problems, and for the preparation of problem-solution tree of major identified problems of Bhargawan village of Satna district of Madhya Pradesh. Singh et al., 2020 Upadhyaya and Singh, 2019 CGWB, 2013 Anonymous, 2014-15 Abedo, 2000; Meena et al., 2018 Reddy et al., 2016 Received on Accepted on Published online 15/09/2020 25/11/2020 10/12/2020 : : :