Prioritization of training needs and constraints faced by watershed field functionaries and farmers

Abstract

Resource conservation programmes are implemented mostly on watershed basis where people’s participation is an inbuilt institutional mechanism for ensuring the sustenance and success. Capacity building is pre-requisite for active involvement of villagers based on their prioritized needs. ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Dehradun is working as a nodal agency for organizing training programmes for field functionaries involved in watershed development and management. Present study is an effort to identify, assess and prioritize training needs of the Watershed Development Team (WDT) members and farmers along with office bearers of the watershed committees. In total, 118 farmer respondents of high and mid hills, 36 from lower hills and plains and 35 WDT members were taken for the study. Responses were recorded on five point continuum in form of ranks, viz I, II, III, IV and V. Frequency for each rank was obtained through matrix analysis. Rank Based Quotient (RBQ) for each rank of individual need (sub component) was calculated separately and was summed up to get the final RBQ score. Likewise, it was done for all the sub components of watershed and overall priority ranking was computed on the basis of final RBQ scores. Though, almost all the respondents were from the watershed areas and most of them were office bearers of the WDT committees but their perception in terms of training needs was reflected inclined to personal gains, not towards common cause or community based activities. Equity and transparency were the high priority training needs in case of farmers but for WDT members, these were the least prioritized needs.