Siag, MukeshGladwin Cutting, Nikhil2022-12-042022-12-042022Gladwin Cutting, Nikhil (2022) Techno-Socio and Economic Study of Solar Operated Community Based Micro Irrigation Project at Talwara, Hoshiarpur (Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation). Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India.https://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810190312This study was carried out in Talwara block of Hoshiarpur district, Punjab, where the Department of Soil and Water Conservation, Punjab has established a lift irrigation project integrated with micro-irrigation systems and operated with solar power. The project covers 664 hectares of 14 villages and benefits around 1200 farmers. Software in Python language was developed for equitable distribution of irrigation water. The irrigation cycle taken was six days for sprinkler systems and every second day for drip irrigation. A provision for buffer time has been made for rescheduling the irrigation in case of disruption due to cloudy conditions or any technical breakdown. An android application was developed to facilitate the two-way communication between the farmers and the management covering aspects like irrigation and maintenance request, canal water status, network, and water user associations details, etc. An economic analysis was also done, three hundred farmers were randomly selected and their socio-economic status was recorded for pre-project (2016-17) and post-project (2019-20) years. The farmers were categorized as marginal, small, and semi-medium based on landholdings. Compared to pre-project status, the net incomes of the farmers increased by 114.52%, 108.03%, and 79.00% for marginal, small, and semi-medium farmers respectively. The food and non-food expenditures also increased post-project and the increase in expenditures was 83.91%,74.91, and 63.64% for marginal, small, and semi-medium farmers respectively. The net assets increased by 32.60%, 58.10%, and 27.81% for marginal, small, and semi-medium farmers respectively. The increase in net incomes, total assets, and the expenditure pattern indicates a clear positive impact of the project on the economic status of the beneficiary farmers.EnglishThesis