Understanding the role of groundwater in wellbeing of farmers from semi-arid watershed regions of India

Abstract

Declining groundwater levels and quality are acknowledged to be affecting the well-being of farmers, especially those located in the semi-arid regions where groundwater is the only source for domestic and agricultural use. Further, previous studies have identified the need to examine the quality of life of farmers beyond economic parameters and for a shift in setting rural development policy goals to the perspective of beneficiaries. To address these gaps, this research attempts to ascertain the subjective wellbeing of farmers from two semi-arid regions of India. The research aims to understand the importance of groundwater in the wellbeing of farmers and to establish the need to integrate well-being into decision-making and policy development for groundwater development and management. The research is directed by mainly three research questions; 1) what are the key factors of wellbeing of farmers in semi-arid regions of India 2) How does groundwater affect the well-being of farmers? 3) What are the issues in implementing complex surveys among the population with low literacy and numeracy? The unique individual viewpoints gathered through the wellbeing approach are barely possible with traditional baseline surveys and participatory group processes used in the government program. The results indicate that significant differences exist in the ranking of wellbeing factors at the individual, village and regional levels. The top five most important factors in the study areas include electricity, irrigation infrastructure, housing, land ownership, and income. However, respondents are also most dissatisfied with these factors and correspondingly perceive a strong influence of groundwater on them. The Index of dissatisfaction (IDS) and Index of Dissatisfaction with Groundwater (IDSGW) developed and tested. The value of groundwater in the wellbeing of farmers demonstrated through multiple regression analysis. The results indicated a high influence of groundwater on the important factors of farmers' wellbeing. Thus, the intervention related to the improvement of groundwater availability and quality will greatly improve the satisfaction level of well-being factors identified by the farmers. The IDS proved to be an important tool for eliciting wellbeing priorities of farmers and potentially useful for policymakers and practitioners at the regional and national level. The Objective Wellbeing Index (OWBI) also developed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and compared with the subjective wellbeing. The OWBI proved to be a useful tool for understanding the resources and living condition of the farmers. The results suggest that both SWB and OWB measures present different and unique aspects of human life and both measures are equally important for policymakers and development practitioners.

Date of Award	2019
Original language	English