Success Stories -NL -Final - Department of Land Resources

H.4. A Successful Venture through Watershed
Programme
A Case Study from Wokha, Nagaland
IWDP Project-II in Wokha district of Nagaland covers 17 micro-watersheds which were
scattered in all the five RD Blocks. A total of 17 villages with target area of 8300 Ha was
covered. The conditions of the areas were pathetic, and with the lack of knowledge for
resource utilization as well as minimum economic opportunities, it was evidently under
poverty. There was large scale dependency on jhumming where 82% of the watershed
community was engaged.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
With Jhum cultivation as the main livelihood activity, sustainable economic activity has slow
progress. Due to excessive jhumming activity, there is rapid degradation of forest land, soil
erosion and decreased water table. With the decreasing jhum cycle to 4-5 years which
earlier was a cycle of 6-8 years, and increasing rural population leading to larger utilization of
jhum land, the once fertile land has been exhausted leading to result of low productivity of
jhum paddy and other agriculture products. This practice has also caused tremendous loss
of both flora and fauna and habitat of many wild animals.
Apart from this condition, it is faced with many problems, such as: lack of drinking water,
lack of scientific method of farming, lack of accessibility to markets, there is a problem for
various departments to undertake developmental activities due to lack of transport and
communication.
OBJECTIVES & METHODOLOGY
With the above situation in mind, the project was implemented with the objectives of
optimum utilization of natural resources, employment generation through Income Generating
Activities, to achieve sustainable productivity with the available resources, to improve overall
condition of the watershed through plantation of various economic/commercial plants and
crops viz. teak, gamari, hollock, orange, pineapple, rubber, areca nut, banana etc. to check
degradation of land through construction of soil and moisture conservation structures such
as Bench terraces, Water Harvesting Structures, Check Dams, etc. and,to promote scientific
management and improvise the traditional methods of farming with active participation of the
watershed community.
IWDP intervention was targeted at the jhumming system for productive utilization of land. It
was well accepted by the people as the activities were shaped to suit the local conditions
that fitted easily into the jhum system.
Activities taken up under IWDP Wokha-II project can be broadly classified into two general
categories, namely production and treatment activities.
Production activity consisted of afforestation, horticulture development and cash crops. Tree
species of high commercial values such as, teak, gamari, hollock etc. were planted under
afforestation. Major crops under horticulture & plantation crops consisted of oranges,
pineapple, banana, arecanut, rubber plantation etc. Cash crops and medicinal & aromatic
plants consisted of sugarcane, lemongrass, patchouli, agar etc. have been introduced to the
project communities to fetch good economic return in short term.
Treatment activity consisted of building bench terraces, contour bunds, check dams and
water harvesting structures. Conservation structures have been built in the micro-watershed
116