Living Land

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Tad Fa, Thailand

Tad Fa watershed is located in Phu Pa Man district in the Khon

Kaen province of Thailand. It was developed as benchmark site

to address the issues of land degradation and poor agricultural

productivity in 2003. The Department of Agriculture, the Land

Development Department, Khon Kaen University and ICRISAT,

along with the rural community, formed the consortium for

implementing the programme. The watershed receives a good

amount of rainfall (1,300 mm) but due to uneven distribution

and lack of water harvesting structures, the village was suffering

water scarcity even during the monsoon period. Nearly 80 per

cent of the total agricultural area was rain-fed, having one crop

per year. Farmers in upland areas with high to medium slopes

were cultivating maize along the slope (up and down cultiva-

tion), triggering heavy soil erosion, as well as cash crops and

rice on the lower lands for domestic use. The watershed faced

severe soil erosion and crop productivity was declining year by

year due to land degradation.

Several soil, water, nutrient and integrated crop management

interventions were introduced in 2003. In consultation with the

farmers, the Land Development Department constructed 17 farm

ponds each of 1,260 m

storage capacity to facilitate supplemen-

tal irrigation to crops, fruit trees and vegetables, particularly in

the post-rainy season. Field bunds were constructed along with

vetiver grass largely in uplands. Sowing through hand dibbling

was promoted on steep slopes; and cultivation using tractor-

mounted implements was promoted in farms with moderate to

mild slopes. About 70 per cent of the area was promoted under

contour cultivation. Relay and sequential cropping systems were

promoted to use green water efficiently and improved varieties of

seeds were introduced. Fruit tree cultivation was promoted and

improved plantation methods were introduced to enhance the

land and water use efficiency.

Maize yields increased by 30-40 per cent compared to

the conventional system due to the increased availabil-

ity of green water resources. Surface run-off (60 per cent

reduction) and soil loss (40 t ha

-1

to 8 t ha

-1

) were reduced

drastically and crop productivity increased. Areas under fruit

tree cultivation increased in and around Tad Fa watershed

within three years of the project implementation. This has

helped in controlling soil erosion and provided better and

more sustainable income to farmers which significantly

contributed to enhancing rural livelihood.

The way forward

Integrated watershed management is an important strategy

for strengthening resilience to drought, especially in uplands

which are hotspots of poverty, water scarcity and land degra-

dation. Soil and water conservation practices have resulted in

higher groundwater recharge which enables supplementary

irrigation of the monsoon, bridging of dry spells and scope for

irrigation of a second dry-season crop. Moreover,

in-situ

water

harvesting has resulted in enhanced green water use efficiency

in rain-fed agriculture. Productivity enhancement, crop inten-

sification and diversification further helped farmers to utilize

available resources effectively and earn more. Watershed

interventions are also helpful in strengthening various ecosys-

tem services such as reduced nutrient and soil loss, which is

expected to have positive impacts on in-stream river ecology

and run-off generation for other downstream water uses.

Under the changing climatic scenario with reduced annual

rainfall and higher rainfall intensities, watershed development

programmes are increasingly important for securing agri-

cultural yields in upland areas to achieve food security and

improve the livelihoods of small and marginal farmers and,

most importantly, for building the resilience of systems to the

changing climate. Scaling-up of these initiatives is urgently

needed to achieve the desired level of impacts and outcomes

for food, nutrition and water security for the growing popula-

tion through sustainable development.

Lucheba watershed, China: (left) the landscape shows a large area under vegetable and cash crops; (right) Scientist observing staked tomato plants

Images: ICRISAT

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