Setting up an Irrigation Cooperative: A Feasibility Study

The objective of the study was to examine the feasibility of setting up an irrigation cooperative in Hadgood village in Kheda district of Gujarat. A sample of 80 households, chosen at rando, was studied and households having no irrigation sources and having irrigation sources were compared on the following aspects: i) landholding and intensity of land use: ii) cropping pattern: iii) costs and returns from different crops with existing water resources: and iv) farm income per household. An attempt was also made to assess the viability of the irrigation cooperative society by considering factors like: i) potential for increasing irrigation: ii) extent of dependence of the households on agricultural income: iii) additional sources of income like dairy and employment: iv) adoption of farm technology, and v) making investments for establishing an irrigation cooperatives. The study has shown that the potential for improving the productivity of agriculture through either: a) irrigating more land or b) increasing cropping intensity or c) changing the cropping pattern or d) adoption of modern farm practices, is rather low. It is therefore, concluded that, keeping the overall situation of the village in view, the setting up of an irrigation cooperative society in Hadgood Village is not feasible.