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economics of on-farm development - Institute for Social and ...

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hardly attended to. This is partly due to <strong>farm</strong>ers' indifference to bring it to the<br />

notice <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the department since they are not using the system.<br />

Thus, various problems ranging from technical to management have<br />

c<strong>on</strong>tributed to the less efficient functi<strong>on</strong>ing <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the MeS, though a limited<br />

potential <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the system is actually utilised. The c<strong>on</strong>trast that the technical<br />

sophisticati<strong>on</strong> at the system level leading to practical difficulties in taking water<br />

from the MCS to the plots brings out the technical c<strong>on</strong>straints posed by the<br />

terrain <strong>and</strong> topography <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the Kallada irrigati<strong>on</strong> comm<strong>and</strong>. Not fixing the<br />

hydrants at appropriate levels <strong>and</strong> places clearly dem<strong>on</strong>strates the ignorance <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

the engineers about the ground realities. Interestingly, local <strong>farm</strong>ers were not<br />

taken into c<strong>on</strong>fidence while laying the system. This brings out the outright<br />

neglect <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>farm</strong>ers' participati<strong>on</strong> in the design <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> water distributi<strong>on</strong> network.<br />

Though hoses were provided to <strong>farm</strong>ers <strong>for</strong> taking water from the hydrant to the<br />

upper layers, lack <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> pressure made water flow difficult <strong>and</strong> inadequate.<br />

Interpers<strong>on</strong>al relati<strong>on</strong>s <strong>and</strong> local dynamics also play an important role in<br />

operati<strong>on</strong>alising the system more efficiently6.<br />

A brief discussi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the current status <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> functi<strong>on</strong>ing <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the MCS, as<br />

revealed by the <strong>farm</strong>ers is in order, to highlight the extent <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> restructuring <strong>and</strong><br />

6 The MCS is installed in the homesteads <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>farm</strong>ers <strong>and</strong> the surrounding plots in a<br />

radius <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> 90 meters <strong>and</strong> the <strong>farm</strong>ers could take water from <strong>on</strong>e hydrant using the rubber<br />

hose. But the <strong>farm</strong>ers in whose plots the MCS have been installed <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>ten c<strong>on</strong>sider it as<br />

their property <strong>and</strong> do not allow nearby <strong>farm</strong>ers to take water. However, this problem is<br />

not widely reported due to the general fai lure <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the MCS as also due to the absence <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

<strong>development</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> a ,\ ater intensive cropping system in the comm<strong>and</strong> area. As a result,<br />

this also does not lead to any water related c<strong>on</strong>flicts.<br />

279

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