Telangana, ICRISAT to study Mission Kakatiya

2-year effort will look at economic benefits to farmers, soil health

The Mission Kakatiya of the Government of Telangana, which aims to restore over 46,000 tanks across the state, will be scientifically assessed.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Ministry of Irrigation, Government of Telangana, and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in the presence of the Minister for Irrigation, T Harish Rao.

The MoU was signed by G Malsur, Commissioner Common Area Development Authority, Ministry of Irrigation, and Dr Kiran K Sharma, Deputy Director General (Acting), ICRISAT.

“There are a number of reported benefits, including reports on in-bound migration following the desilting of water tanks," said Rao. "We look forward to understanding how the change in the availability of water has affected reverse migration. We need to look at many parameters, including sustainability, more than just in monetary terms.”

Sharma said, "This partnership project has immense significance in enumerating various benefits of the Mission Kakatiya Project, especially in promoting soil fertility and productivity, and the associated benefits on livelihoods of the smallholder farmers of Telangana.”

The two-year project will carry out an economic assessment of the benefits of Mission Kakatiya to smallholder farmers and will understand the nutrients returned to the soil and the expected productivity and profitability.

Through stratified sampling, the nutrient content of silt from across 30 districts will be assessed. Demonstration trials will be undertaken with different levels of silt, along with balanced nutrient management for major crops. Overall, soil and water from 750 sites will be examined, along with crop diversity and impact on livelihood.