Bunding and Leveling for improving Productivity from Degraded Lands.
Shri Bakkiyaraj a small farmer of Kattusiviri village owning 2.5 ha of cultivable land. He is cultivating groundnut and blackgram. Out of his 2.5 ha of wetland one ha are is undulating and having steep slope. He had no hope to cultivate the crops in uneven sloping land. He ploughed the uneven land to start crop cultivation but failed due to high soil erosion and runoff. Finally, he decided to follow innovative agricultural practices to make use of undulating land for paddy cultivation. He divided the slope into strips based on the land topography. The strips of land were leveled and bunds were raised to make boundaries and rice was grown. When it rained, instead of runoff, the rainwater got stored in the strips. The bunds made in between the land prevented free flowing of water. Thus, the uneven sloping land was transformed as suitable wetland for paddy cultivation by Shri Bakkiyaraj although, it is commonly practiced in hilly regions.