Evaluating Socio-economic Impacts for Micro Watersheds of Sabarkantha and Aravalli Districts of Gujarat, India

Soil and water conservations practices are vital for the agriculture economy and financial sustainability in rainfed areas. Therefore, an integrated watershed development program is necessary to achievedifferent goals in rural agriculture. Integrated watershed development is recognized as an effective model for watershedplanning. A watershed is considered the basic hydro-geographical unit for area development by integrating various biophysical, agricultural, social, economic, and policy-making factors with the modern era. The present study was conducted to evaluate the impacts of the watershed developmentprograms on the social and economic aspects in themicro-watershedsof Sabarkantha and Aravalli districts, Gujarat,India, considering various social and economic parameters like increase in livestock, reduction in migration, employment, saving and expenditure capacity. The economic evaluation of the projects is carried out using netpresent value (NPV) and benefit-cost ratio (BCR) methods.A structured questionnaire was used on 2 selected micro watersheds, and data were collected by personal interviews, group discussions from selected households, and joint field observations in watersheds.This study recognized that the projects had positive effects that strengthened the socio-economic characteristics of the landowners and landless families. The soil and water conservationpractices have increased the income through livestock, reduction in migration, employment, saving, and expenditure capacity.