Das, AnupamDakua, Anupam2017-01-132017-01-132014http://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/96370A study on “Impact of WADI Project for the Sustainable Development of Tribals of Champua Subdivision of Keonjhar District” was carried out in 12 sample villages selected under Champua subdivision with 120 respondents at random. Data were collected with a structured interview schedule specially prepared for the purpose to study the social status of the tribal farmers, assessment of knowledge, skill, and attitude of tribal farmers under WADI, natural resource management of taribal farmers, sustainable development of WADI farmers, and relationship of development under WADI with socio-economic characters of the respondents. The data thus collected were analysed, used appropriate statistical tools and techniques viz. Frequency and Percentage, Mean, Standard Deviation, Scoring, Mean score, Ranking, ‘t’ test, Correlation and Correlation Coefficient, Multiple Regression analysis, Step Wise Regression to reveal the following results. Majority of the respondents (56.7%) were middle aged group, 89.2 percent were male, 45 percent were having medium family consisting 6-8members, mostly (84.2%)living in nuclear family in kucha houses (44.2%), with high number of literacy (56.7%), cosmopoliteness (95.8%)visit to outside mainly for agricultural activities, highly participating in WADI activities. Most of the tribal people(60%) has social participation preferably SHG, majority (56.7%)having medium level of extension activity and contact contacting VAW, LVAW and AAOs and non adopter with better contact with KVK SMS. Majority of the tribals use mass media for information source on WADI using radio, news paper and motivational training programmmes. The WADI adopters (63.3%) had medium level knowledge on WADI and having significant difference in knowledge from non-adopters of WADI. The WADI adopters had mastered higher level of skill than non-adopters having very good attitude towards WADI project and significantly different from non WADI adopters. Majority of the WADI adopters (33.3%)were large farmers actively participated in the economic programmes of WADI and different from the non WADI respondents. Considerable extent of WADI farmer (53.3%) depended on agriculture for their livelihood, NTFP collection. The material possession of the WADI farmers was higher than their counter parts and level of income was mostly within 40,00060,000 rupees from WADI project. They were adopting livelihood vacations like peoples’ organization (SHG), horticulture, animal husbandry and agro-forestry in addition to agriculture and different from the non adopters. The natural resources availability even though was equal, the water conservation through water harvesting structures were more for adopters of WADI. They attached more importance to conserve erodible soil for medium to high extent and about 50 percent of the respondents felt that the forest cover is depleting day by day and high to medium level of activities were followed for management of forest resource. The sustainability of the income was achieved by the WADI adopters than the non WADI adopters. The findings revealed that change in knowledge, skill and attitude were significantly dependent upon their occupation, number of earning member in the family, cosmopoliteness, size of holding, house type, livestock possession, annual family income and knowledge and information regarding innovative means of livelihood with better extension contact, housing, higher livestock possession, size of housing and annual income. The extent of contribution of change in socio-economic status due to WADI was explained 79.1 percent of development under WADI. The step wise regression analysis reveals that four variable livestock possession, annual family income, size of holding, and occupation of tribal, adopting of WADI contributed 89.1 percent for the prediction of dependant variable. Further it is stressed that activities under WADI must concentrate on the vocations in relation to the above 4 indicators so as to bring about all-round development of tribal people of Champua.enThesis