Every Drop Counts: Agricultural Water Distribution in Maharashtra, India Kara Batdorff, Laura Schroeder, and Nikki Ulug Fall 2011 ENVS 220 Focus Question: How has the construction of the Baliraja Memorial Dam in Maharashtra, India affected the Balawadi and Tandulwadi villages? How can agricultural development improve ecological, economic and social well being? Background In Maharashtra, the largest agricultural state in India, the inequality of water availability has caused disputes among farmers. The Baliraja Memorial Dam was constructed and designed by local citizens to allow equitable water access to farmers and families for irrigation and domestic use. Twenty years ago, the majority of water in the state was used to support the sugarcane industry, leaving few resources for families and farmers. The Mukti Sangharsh Chalval (MSC), a social welfare organization, learned about the problems associated with water inequity and led a movement to build a peoples’ dam, The Baliraja Memorial Dam (Phadke). This dam now supports 400 families in the area, successfully allotting enough water for domestic and irrigation usage. This dam symbolizes a significant movement for equal water distribution to farmers and families of all classes. We will investigate how agricultural development can reduce the levels of poverty, increase crop yields, empower communities, and limit the use of natural resources. Methodology Through a set of interviews, surveys, and measurements we will be able to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze our results to understand the ecological, economic, and social aspects of the area immediately surrounding the Baliraja Memorial Dam. Using situated research our study will bringing together local with global and culture with nature to understand the potential of infrastructure through a case study. Natural Resource Measurements A collection of water level and flow data quantifying the distribution of water resources Visually displayed on a map using GIS and GPS georeferenced farms to understand the water availability to farms Socio-Economic Surveys A collection of data on the standard of living, economic status and crop yield Survey households in Balawadi and Tandulwadi, the two main villages surrounding the Baliraja Memorial Dam Display findings in graphs and conduct statistical analysis for significance Perspective Interviews Aim to understand the perception of the public concerning the Baliraja Memorial Dam, agriculture, government involvement in agriculture, and water resources Relevance In ENVS 220 and during the completion of this proposal, we have learned how to employ many situated research tools to a wide variety of contexts. We are now well-equipped to: Design a situated research project (with nature/culture and local/global) Create and analyze GIS and GPS and geo-referenced maps Write surveys that will help us gain the most complete information possible Conduct interviews that are in-depth and informative These skills and this topic are relevant on a large scale, as water scarcity is a global dilemma and solutions that appear in Maharashtra may be applied to other regions and nations as well. References “Agriculture – India: Priorities for Agriculture and Rural Development.” World Bank Group. Web. 23 Nov Bhatia, M. S. “Rural Infrastructure and Growth in Agriculture.” Economic and Political Weekly (1999): A JSTOR. Web. 22 Nov Binswanger, Hans P., Shahidur R. Khandker, and Mark R. Rosenzweig. “How Infrastructure and Financial Institutions Affect Agricultural Output and Investment in India.” Journal of Development Economics 41.2 (1993): Print. Deokule, ER Shri S.T. “Development and Modernization of Irrigation in Maharashtra.”FAO: FAO Home. Development of Modernization and Irrigation of Maharashtra. Web. 23 Nov Phadke, R. “Assessing Water Scarcity and Watershed Development in Maharashtra, India: A Case Study of the Baliraja Memorial Dam.” Science, Technology & Human Values 27.2 (2002): Print. Wani, S. P., Johan Rockström, and Theib Yousef. Oweis. Rainfed Agriculture: Unlocking the Potential. Wallingford, UK: CABI, Print. Many thanks to Jim Proctor and the Lewis & Clark College Environmental Studies Program!!!! The world map above displays the annual average percent of renewable water resources used of those available over the past 5 years. India uses more of its water resources as compared to the majority of other nations. The concept map above explores how the Baliraja Memorial Dam affects social, economic, and environmental actors in Maharashtra as this project plans to investigate. The Google Earth image above displays the location of the Maharashtra province within India. Our study focuses on the villages of Balawadi and Tandulwadi in Sangli county.