Augmentation of Water Resources Potential and Cropping Intensification Through Watershed Programs Biswajit Mondal 1* , Alka Singh 2 , S. D. Singh 2 , B. S. Kalra 3 , P. Samal 1 , M. K. Sinha 4 , D. Ramajayam 5 , Suresh Kumar 6 ABSTRACT: This paper presents the biophysical impact of various interventions made under watershed development programs, in terms of the creation of additional water resources, and resultant changes in land use and cropping patterns in the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh State, India. Both primary and secondary data gathered from randomly selected watersheds and their corresponding control villages were used in this study. Analysis revealed that emphasis was given primarily to the creation of water resources potential during implemen- tation of the programs, which led to augmentation of surface and groundwater availability for both irrigation and non- agricultural purposes. In addition, other land based interven- tions for soil and moisture conservation, plantation activities, and so forth, were taken up on both arable and nonarable land, which helped to improve land slope and land use, cropping pattern, agricultural productivity, and vegetation cover. Water Environ. Res., 90, 83 (2018). KEYWORDS: biophysical impact, Bundelkhand region, cropping pattern, crop productivity, water resources development, watershed. doi:10.2175/106143017X14902968254700 Introduction Development initiatives in dry regions of India are being promoted, through watershed based interventions, to enhance agricultural productivity with sustainable intensification for improving livelihoods, as well as protect and improve water quality and other natural resources. As the irrigated potential in the country is estimated to be about 58% of the cropped area (MoSPI, 2016), as much as 42% of the cropped land will rely solely on rainfall for cultivation, where watershed development strategy is the most appropriate. A watershed is a natural hydrological entity that covers a specific area and the entire rainfall from its boundary passes through a specifically defined stream as runoff and is separated from adjoining areas by a naturally elevated ridgeline (Oswal, 1994). It is convenient for village-level planning as the village boundaries match the watershed boundaries in many cases. Therefore, the watershed concept enables integrated use, regulation, and treatment of water and land resources for sustainable agricultural production and livelihood security in areas dependant on rainfall for cultivation (Jensen et al., 1996). Various land based interventions are carried out in a watershed for soil and moisture conservation in agricultural lands (contour/ field bunding and summer ploughing), drainage line treatment (loose boulder check dam, minor check dam, major check dam, and retaining walls), water resource development/management (percolation pond, farm pond, and drip and sprinkler irrigation), crop demonstrations, horticulture plantations, and afforestation activities (Palanisami and Kumar, 2002). Activities as mentioned, produce significant positive externalities on various biophysical aspects that determine productivity potentials, as well as conservation of precious soil and other natural resources, as evident from earlier studies (Chopra et al., 1990; Farrington and Lobo, 1997; Marothia, 1997; Rao, 2000; Reddy, 2000). These studies provide useful insights on the performance of numerous watersheds and examine the reasons for the success of watershed programs 1* ICAR-National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack 753006, India; e- mail: bisumondal@rediffmail.com 2 ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, New Delhi 110 012, India 3 Water Technology Centre, ICAR-IARI, Pusa, New Delhi 110 012, India 4 ICAR-Indian Institute of Water Management, Bhubaneswar 751 023, India 5 ICAR-National Research Centre for Banana, Tiruchirapalli 620 102, India 6 ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil & Water Conservation, Research Centre, Bellary 583104, India Allen Press, Inc.  14 November 2017  2:09 pm  Customer MS#WERD1500168 Page 83 //TITAN/Production/w/waer/live_jobs/waer-89/waer-89-11/waer-89-11-16/layouts/waer-89-11-16.3d WATER ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH  January 2018 83