Social capital investment on watershed development in rainfed area an analytical research

Abstract

The study entitled Social Capital Investment on Watershed Development in newlineRainfed Area- An Analytical Research aimed to study development activities enacted newlinethrough building of social capital and to explore the dynamics of social capital, newlineresponsible for the development activities. In addition, to construct the social capital newlineindex to assess the performance of water users association and to suggest policy newlineadvocacy for effective functioning of water users association in watershed area. newlineThe research study was conducted in three districts, namely, Thoothukudi, newlineRamanathapuram and Sivagangai since Thothukudi with the cultivable area of 136810 ha newlinefollowed by Ramanathapuram with 123066 ha and Sivagangai with 28922 ha are the newlinedistricts having the largest area under dry land farming in the total cultivable area in newlineTamil Nadu. Due to presence of adequate number of water users associations and newlineprevalence of more cultivable area under tank fed irrigation, these districts were newlinepurposively selected. By employing the same criteria five blocks from each district were newlineselected. By following quota sampling, eight water users associations were selected from newlineeach block, in which four are selected from officials of DPAP supported watershed and newlinefour from officials of NABARD supported watershed. And thus a total of 120 water newlineusers associations has been selected from the 15 blocks of the three selected districts. newlineOffice bearers of selected water users associations are considered as respondents for the newlinestudy. newlineIn initiation and planning of development activities, two third of the total water newlineusers associations were formed through conducting the general body meetings, with full newlinecooperation of local peoples. One fourth of the associations supported by officials of newlineDPAP, have not at all decided and executed the entry point activities. Moreover, 50.00 to newline70.00 per cent of the DPAP supported associations not at all attended any capacity newlinebuilding programme of either technical or administrative aspects. The Participatory Ru