Abstract: This is an environmental assessment for the Community Agriculture and Watershed Management Project, which aims to improve livelihoods of rural communities in selected rainfed areas of mountain watersheds by supporting productive activities while reversing degradation of fragile lands and ecosystems. This report discusses anticipated environmental impacts and proposes actions to mitigate them. They include: Increase agricultural productivity by improving rainfed farming. Avoid affecting surface and groundwater quality, risk to worker health and safety, bioaccumulation, affects on crop resistance, and reduction of reproductive capacity by only using internationally approved pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides (CCAs). Store CCAs in appropriate places and dispose of containers in recommended ways. Practice alternatives such as integrated pest management. Provide training and advice on correct fertilizer application. Encourage and demonstrate the use of organic fertilizers. Introduce licensing. To prevent seepage of liquid and solid waste into rivers, noxious smells, and the prevalence of communicable and waterborne diseases, train farmers to properly store and dispose of liquid and solid wastes, especially animal manure, and reuse manure as fertilizer or biogas. Enforce standards for terracing and revegetate land quickly-chiefly with indigenous species-and provide a maintenance budget to stabilize soil and prevent landslides, surface and gully erosion, soil erosion, and fertile land loss. Test water quality, correct contamination by providing for disinfection, enforce sanitary protection zones, provide training in handling and using disinfection chemicals, and equip workers with protective gear to prevent exposure to asbestos dust. Other mitigations include enforcing road-building standards, select sites to minimize impacts on fish and biodiversity, and provide farmers with training in drip and sprinkler irrigation and propose water pricing to improve water use and avert erosion.
Publication Year: 2003
Publication Date: 2003-12-01
Language: en
Type: article
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