The World Bank has approved a $109-million grant for Rajasthan

Washington, March 28: 

The World Bank has approved a $109-million grant for Rajasthan to promote water-efficient agriculture through sustainable and efficient use of resources in the desert state.

The fund, approved for the Rajasthan Agricultural Competitiveness Project, is expected to benefit some 1,55,000 farmers, mainly those with small land holdings in the state.

He noted that the initiatives under the project are expected to help farmers move from low value and water-guzzling crops to high value farming, as aimed in the state’s water policy of 2010.

• It is also expected to increase productivity through efficient management of water and crops, improved farming technology, farmer organisations and market innovations in some 20 selected areas of around 10,000 hectares each across 10 agro-ecological zones.
• The primary focus of the project is to reduce agricultural water footprint by improving harvest, capture, collection, delivery and distribution of water for crops and livestock dependent on various sources of the natural resource.
• It also aims at efficient use of water in farms apart from increasing moisture and fertility in the soil and promote market-oriented production, a World Bank statement said.

“The agricultural sector needs an end-to-end approach ranging from water management to better agricultural practices and marketing,” World Bank Country Director for India, Mr Roberto Zagha,