Watershed Development and Livelihoods
People’s Action in India

This book analyses the empowerment process of the Bhil as a result of the implementation of the watershed project in Jhabua. This visionary project, planned and implemented by the Bhil community, has put in place an integrated strategy that has given them control over their livelihood.

It is examined against the backdrop of a framework that links three important aspects-biophysical (resource management and ecological balance), socio-economic (productivity, agricultural growth and livelihood support) and institutional (sustainable resource use, equity and benefit-cost sharing); and their complex interactions.

This will be useful to scholars and researchers in development studies, environment, agriculture, sociology, economics and public policy.

Introduction Part – I: Disempowerment 1. A Historical Profile 2. A Sociological Perspective 3. Environment Part-II: Empowerment 4. Empowerment – A Conceptual Framework 5. The Watershed Project 6. Action Plans 7. Civil Society Intermediaries 8. People’s Perceptions 9. Performance of the Project 10. Assessing the Performance Part- III 11. Conclusions. Bibliography. Index

S. K. Das is currently Advisor of Indian Space Research Organisation. He has a Masters Degree from the University of Delhi and the University of Hawaii. Prior to this he was Visiting Fellow, Queen Elizabeth House, Oxford. He retired in 2005 as Secretary to Government of India. He has previously published books entitled Civil Service Reform and structural Adjustments (1998), Public Office, Private Interest (2001) and Rethinking Public Accounting (2006).