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

Nanjundappa (1988), while examining the financial aspects <strong>of</strong> OFD,
argues for integrating financing <strong>of</strong> OFD works with the CAD programme so as to
facilitate the co-ordination <strong>of</strong> activities at a single point.
Yousuf (1988) considers the lack <strong>of</strong> OFD causing considerable reduction
In the utilisation <strong>of</strong> irrigation potential. The departure from the localised
cropping pattern in favor <strong>of</strong> water intensive crops especially in the head reaches
is yet another problem affecting water availability across the canal system on a
uniform basis. As a result, a declining trend in adoption <strong>of</strong> OFD has been
observed while moving from the head to tail-end.
Gopinath and Kalro (1991) examines the performance objectives <strong>of</strong> an
irrigation system in relation to sustainability <strong>of</strong> managerial interventions to
upgrade the system performance. A clear distinction is made with respect to
managerial interventions in terms <strong>of</strong> hardware measures and s<strong>of</strong>tware measures,
which together signify the relevance <strong>of</strong> OFD in attaining the goals <strong>of</strong>
productivity, equity, reliability, flexibility, environmental stability and economic
viability.
The study identifies various performance objectives for irrigation
development and management. These objectives are: i) attaining land and water
productivity through reduction in water losses, ii) better crop yields and shift in
cropping; iii) ensuring equity, dependability, stability and sustainability as well
as economic viability <strong>of</strong> irrigation systems. These objectives are expected to be
achieved through management interventions in terms <strong>of</strong> hardware and s<strong>of</strong>tware
measures, involving OFD works (Gopinath and Kalro, 1991: 160-61).
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