Natural Resource Management

The activities under this sub-component are:

Land allocation and recording of land rights

Land and water resource development

Support to productivity enhancement

Research support to OUAT

Support to Agri-horticulture and podu stabilisation

Development of denuded forest areas under Community Forest Rights

Land Allocation and Recording of Land rights

The programme will facilitate identification and assignment of eligible revenue lands to the landless for homestead and agriculture under relevant Government laws and settlement of individual rights under Forest Rights Act (FRA). Land titles will be issued in the joint names husband and wife. To implement this activity, the programme will engage the services of a specialist NGO, RNGO, with the experience to implement this activity. RNGO will recruit CRPs, train them, survey the households to ascertain landless households and also survey available Government land eligible for allocation. It will also ascertain land, including podu land, eligible for recording of individual rights under FRA. The GoO will make available to the PSU the services of an officer of the rank of Tehsildar to facilitate assignment of eligible Government land to the landless.

Land and Water Resource Development

The programme will facilitate preparation of detailed village development plans (VDPs) to include land shaping, small-scale diversion-based irrigation, lift-irrigation, rainwater harvesting structures, various measures to stabilise podulands and development of lands settled under FRA. The programme will finance the implementation of these plans through the VDCs with technical assistance provided by the MPAs and FNGO. About 30% of households will be provided irrigation facilities during khaif season for growing rice and maize and wheat and vegetables during winter season in the low-lying areas.

Support for Productivity Enhancement

The activities to be supported will include (i) crop productivity enhancement; (ii) promoting winter crops where irrigation is introduced or land development activities have increased soil moisture; (iii) soil fertility enhancement; (iv) homestead development as nutrition gardens; and (v) providing power tillers and other farm equipment to redress the draft power constraint

Research Support to OUAT

The programme will support an Action Research and Extension Programme to be taken up two pilots by OUAT to identify and develop through selection and farmer field trials more productive varieties of nutrition dense and climate resilient crops traditionally cultivated by the PVTGs and promote production of seeds of promising varieties to supply to village seed banks. OUAT will also develop better agronomic and management practices. The focus will be on millets, pulses, beans, oilseeds and tubers traditionally cultivated by PVTGs. The purpose of these efforts will be to enhance food and nutrition security of the PVTGs. The PMU will sign a MoU with OUAT for a five year period for this activity. OUAT will operate through their existing field based Research Stations and the Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) operating in the region.

Support to Promote Agri-horticulture and Podu Stabilisation

The programme will promote agri-horticulture on land being used for podu or other sloping land after settlement of titles under FRA. The technique of alley cropping will be used where fruit trees are planted at wide spacing and food crops, vegetables and spices are grown in between. Land suited for settled cultivation, including land with modest slope that can be developed for farming through land development activities will not be used for agri-horticulture. Only a part of the poduland will be used for agri-horticulture. The purpose is to promote sustainable land use systems on steep slopes prone to rapid erosion by combining fruit tree cultivation with alley cropping rather than taking up block plantations of fruit trees.

Development of Denuded Forest Areas Under Community Forest Rights

On a pilot basis, the programme will also facilitate granting of community rights under Section 3(1)(i) of FRA, take up soil and water conservation works on such lands, followed by planting of various forage and firewood trees and grasses of use to PVTGs. Two pilots will be taken in each MPA area.