Elaborate the impact of National Watershed Project in increasing agricultural production from water-stressed areas.

A watershed is a hydrological unit draining to a common point; watershed development treats land and water in an integrated way through soil and moisture conservation. India's flagship effort, now the Watershed Development Component of PMKSY (earlier the Integrated Watershed Management Programme), targets the roughly 51 per cent of net sown area that is rainfed and water-stressed.

Impact on agricultural production

• In-situ moisture conservation: Contour bunds, check dams, farm ponds and gully plugs slow runoff, letting rainwater percolate and extending soil moisture into dry spells.
• Groundwater recharge: Rising water tables revive wells, enabling protective and supplementary irrigation.
• Higher cropping intensity and yields: Assured moisture supports a second crop, crop diversification and horticulture, lifting productivity of degraded land.
• Reduced soil erosion: Vegetative and mechanical measures cut topsoil loss and land degradation.
• Livelihood and ecological gains: Fodder, fuelwood and allied activities raise incomes and check distress migration.

Success stories such as Ralegan Siddhi and Hiware Bazar in Maharashtra show water tables and incomes transformed by community-led watershed work. Yet outcomes depend on genuine people's participation, equity for the landless, and maintenance of assets. As a decentralised, low-cost route to climate-resilient rainfed agriculture, watershed development remains indispensable for water-stressed India.