Impact of MPOWER’S Interventions on the Farmers of Western Rajasthan

All beneficiary respondents are members of SHGs, but membership of the non-beneficiary respondents in social organizationswas hardly 5-10%. This might be due to motivation by the MPOWER project staff through NGOs to associate with local level organizations so as to get benefits of the on-going development schemes of the Government whether Centre or State sponsored.Agriculture extension functionaries including facilitators from FNGOs and community cadres established perfect linkage with beneficiary respondents compared to non-beneficiary respondents in the blocks that were surveyed.Majority of the households in Baitu (97%), Balesar (97%), Sanchor (85%), Sankara and Baap (66%) have agriculture as their main occupation. Kharif crops are raised mainly under rainfed conditions (70-100%) in Baitu, Sankara, Baap and Balesar blocks irrespective of the category of the respondents. Howerver, sufficient irrigation facility through bore wells/ tube/open wells and saran (diversion based irrigation) exists in Sanchor, Abu Road, Balesar and Bali blocks to an extent of 59 -78% of the cultivated area.Looking at the encouraging impacts of interventions need to replicated in all Rajasthan.