Performance of Krishi Bhagya: A sustainable approach for farming in rainfed areas of Karnataka

Abstract

Krishi Bhagya Scheme (KBS) has been an ambitious flagship programme of Government of Karnataka launchedduring 2014-15. The scheme exhibits special features of convergence and integration of various activities in farming especiallywater management. It includes components like farm pond, polythene lining sheets, field bunds, diesel pump sets and microirrigation sets. The present study was an attempt to analyze the physical and financial progress of KBS, its adoption andconstraints in adoption. Both primary and secondary data were collected from various published sources. An overall pictureof district wise physical and financial progress of the scheme showed that share of study area in the state was fairlysatisfactory and there was variation among the districts within the study area. The study revealed that most of the componentshave been implemented and that progress was more in the initial years. There was variation in adoption of different componentstoo as farm ponds dominated the scheme. Implementation of the scheme appeared to be holistic as it focused on in situ rainwater collection during rainy season, effective storage in protected farm ponds and lifting water for irrigation through a liftingmechanism. Further, the scheme emphasized on utilizing water effectively through micro irrigation facility to reap full benefitsfor crop production. The study brought out the fact that farmers belonging to general category availed larger benefits.Therefore, selection procedure for beneficiaries has to be more transparent for ensuring social inclusiveness. There is a need foreducating farmers for adapting to the new technology in terms of crops, varieties and irrigation methods. There is also need forstreamlining the official procedures. It was noticed that most of the problems arose due to poor understanding about thescheme, which calls for creating mass awareness and educating the beneficiaries regarding official procedures.