Abstract
Watershed development has emerged as a key strategy for improving rain-fed agriculture and rural livelihoods in India. This study evaluated the impediments faced by beneficiaries of the Hariyali-IV Watershed Development Programme in Kundam block, Jabalpur district, and elicited their suggestions for improving programme effectiveness. An ex-post-facto research design was adopted, with 200 respondents selected through random sampling from five villages. Data were collected using a pre-tested structured interview schedule and analysed using percentage, mean, standard deviation, and chi-square tests. Findings revealed that lack of irrigation facilities was the foremost constraint, followed by limited awareness of financial facilities, high input costs, unavailability of watershed-based production technology, and delayed access to finance. Additional impediments included inadequate knowledge of improved varieties, poor input supply, training gaps, transportation difficulties, and land fragmentation. These results reflect the region's heavy dependence on rain-fed agriculture, weak institutional credit penetration, and a mismatch between programme design and beneficiaries' localised resource capacities. Correspondingly, beneficiaries' recommendations emphasised timely dissemination of information, expansion of irrigation sources, prompt provision of financial assistance, comprehensive government support, and area-specific training. Other suggestions included conducting training at block/district levels, establishing block-level training institutes, improving road connectivity, strengthening extension outreach on improved varieties, encouraging joint land management, increasing financial assistance, and ensuring year-round irrigation water availability. The study underscores that systemic and infrastructural improvements, particularly in irrigation, communication, and institutional finance, are perceived by beneficiaries as more critical to watershed programme success than monetary increments alone, offering evidence-based insights for policymakers to refine future watershed interventions in similar rain-fed, tribal-dominated regions.