Adapting to Climate Change: Assessing the World Bank Group ...

CHAPTER 3CLIMATE VARIABILITY1999 (Lakhdar) was not successful in achieving its gender goals. The successfulimplementation of gender interventions was hindered by lack of a project componentdevoted to women and existing cultural barriers. Projects focusing on income-generationwere not successful because they did not give adequate attention to marketing issues.However, projects in Chad, China, and India reported success involving women in microprojects,water users’ groups, training activities, and village committees.Box 3-2. The Karnataka Watershed (Sujala) ProjectThe Karnataka Watershed Management project (FY01-09, $100.4 million) addressed povertyalleviation in mainly rainfed areas of India by improving the productive potential of degradedwatersheds. In addition, it was designed to strengthen the capacity of communities in projectdistricts for participatory involvement in planning and implementation, and in social andenvironmental management.The project applied a systems approach, with focus on soil and water conservation andsustainable use, as well as improvement of livelihoods, equity, gender, and communityparticipation. The project included participatory watershed protection and developmentcovering 400,000 hectares.An important feature of the project was an exemplary monitoring and evaluation system,conducted by the Indian Space Research Organization. The M&E system included a householdsurvey with baseline and control group, and remote sensing monitoring of changes in landcover and cropping patterns. Hydrological measurements were less reliable, since plannedequipment was not acquired. Unusually, the M&E system was integrated into projectmanagement. IEG’s review found that “data from this MIS and evaluation program had asignificant impact on improving project implementation. In particular it was instrumental in thedecision at the mid-term review to shift funding into providing revolving funds for self-helpgroups, a move that resulted in a sharper poverty focus for the project and improvedopportunities for women and the landless. Similar the data generated enabled operations toachieve better equity among small, medium and large farmers; and greater cost-efficiency in thesoil and water conservation works.”The project made a considerable impact on agricultural productivity, with an overall increase inyield up to 19.8 percent. Average income was increased by 24 percent. Cropping wasdiversified, boosting resilience. Employment increased as a result of project restrictions onusing machinery, benefiting the poorest and landless. Consequently outmigration was reducedby 75 percent in the short term. Additional impact was from creating the local institutions,among which the most sustainable were Self-Help Groups, 85 percent of which continued tofunction even after the project closure. Favorable land use changes were observed, includingincreased diversification and irrigation. Runoff decreased, suggesting an increase in infiltrationand reduction in erosion, and .water tables increased, but it was not possible to attribute thissolely to the project, since measurements were taken during a period of favorable rains.Unfortunately monitoring has been discontinued so a direct measure of resilience during futuredroughts is not possible.Sources:Indian Space Research Organization (2009); IEG 2011a; Sujala staff.39