The ICAR-IISWC is a premier Institute under ICAR having rich experience in dealing with and developing strategies for land degradation problems in the country. To cater the problems of soil erosion and land degradation, eight Research Centers are operating under it in different parts of the Country. In the Eastern region, the ICAR-IISWC, Research Centre, Koraput has been looking after the problems of soil erosion and land degradation in Eastern Ghats region including shifting cultivation. Keeping in view the problems of the region, different research projects were conceptualized for resource characterization, planning, development and evaluation of conservation technologies suits to the resource poor farming community, transfer of technology through the model watershed project and other outreach projects, capacity building and skill development of stake holders in the region and policy planning and advocacy including consultancy projects were undertaken by the interdisciplinary team of the Research Centre. Koraput district is one among the top one-third districts identified by the NRAA based on high Rain-fed Areas Prioritization Index (RAPI). It's a concerted effort to render basic livelihood amenities, empower and organize the tribal community into viable and resilient groups, infuse/refine skills to build capacities and self reliance, and integrate conservation and production technologies for sustainable land and water resources.

Organization profile :

The main mandate of the Research Centre is allied with the mandate of the Institute. The overall mandate of the Research Centre is to develop evaluate and disseminate technologies for soil and water conservation and productive utilization of degraded land for Eastern Ghats region of India specially with reference to the states covering Odisha, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Jharkhand. The interdisciplinary team namely Agronomy, Soil and Water Conservation Engineering, Hydrology, Soil Science, Horticulture, Economics, Extension, Forestry, etc are stationed at the research centre to address the problems through formulating interdisciplinary research projects, development and evaluation of technologies, technology dissemination through demonstration of technologies in selected watersheds following watershed approach and cluster village approach through formation of user and self help groups.