ANNOUNCEMENTS
For a farmer living in water scarce areas, micro irrigation can augment their needs by helping them adjust to the low water availability. But what can we do if the farmers cannot access sufficient water for irrigation and micro irrigation techniques ? Such was the scenario in Kandi area in the Hoshiarpur district where Kandi canal is the source of water for irrigation for the nearby farmers. The farmers in the uphill regions were not able to get access to this water as their lands are on a higher elevation than the Kandi canal. The area was mostly rain dependent for its agricultural activities. In 2017, a solar powered project was set up by the Punjab government which pumps the canal water to these uphill farm areas. With sufficient availability of water, it is expected that the farmers would be able to cultivate an increased quantity of crops and are can opt for crop diversification. This study aims to evaluate the economic impact of the project on the beneficiary farm households. The method used to calculate this impact is the Difference-In-Differences (DID) model along with a diversity index as a measure to capture crop diversity. The results show that the project has had a positive and significant impact on the crop production of these farming households, the profits they earn from crop sales, and has improved the diversity in crops that are being cultivated by them. The project has proven to be a boon for the farmers in the Kandi area.
