Jhansi: A five-member Ethiopian delegation from the Water and Land Resources Centre, Addis Ababa, visited Tahrauli tehsil in Jhansi on Thursday to study integrated water, land and natural resource management initiatives implemented by the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics.The delegation comprised WLRC directors Behailu Berehanu, Adey Nigatu, Yonas Tesfa, Tibebu Kassaw and Desalegn Amelaku, besides ICRISAT’s country representative in Ethiopia, Gizew Desta.During the visit, the team toured various scientific and developmental interventions undertaken by ICRISAT across 40 villages covering nearly 28,000 hectares. The delegation focused on understanding the use of Land Resource Inventory (LRI) and hydrology-based planning for rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge and addressing water scarcity.The delegation inspected a community pond in Nota village and interacted with members of the Natural Resource Management Committee and local farmers to understand the implementation and benefits of the intervention.The Ethiopian officials were briefed about scientific monitoring systems being used in the project area, including Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) devices and Automatic Weather Stations (AWS). Scientists explained how data collected through these systems is being used to monitor soil moisture, weather conditions and other parameters for planning and improving natural resource management.The delegation also met directors and promoters of Progressive Bundelkhand Farmer Producer Company Ltd and discussed the role of farmer producer organisations in improving market access, organising farmers and ensuring the availability of quality seeds and other agricultural inputs.ICRISAT officials briefed the delegation on various natural resource management interventions being implemented in the region and their impact on local communities and agriculture.The delegation later visited ICRISAT’s Jhansi project office, where it held technical discussions with scientists and officials on the various interventions, their implementation and outcomes.
