With an aim to obtained hands-on experience of ground realities and to identify issues for policies and procedural changes, DSC directly implements three programmes, Participatory Irrigation Management, Watershed Development and Agricultural Productivity Enhancement in about 110 villages of North, Central and Western Gujarat, each location having distinct socio-geographical conditions. Though essentially a support organization, DSC started implementation of these programmes on a small scale with the objective to create a "learning laboratories" for NGOs, Government functionaries and Community Based Organizations (CBOs).

For this purpose, DSC has set up six field units, Visnagar, Himmatnagar, Modasa and Vehlal, implementing Participatory Irrigation Management Programme in five major and medium irrigation projects of Gujarat and, Megharaj and Dhari units implementing Watershed Development and Agricultural Productivity Enhancement Programmes. These field units, having total staff of 15 full-time persons are working mainly to create vibrant democratic village institutions that implements natural resource management programmes, conducts capacity building/ training programmes and exposure visits for the key village functionaries and performs hand-holding as when required by them.

Beside this, DSC also supports 12 NGOs intensively who works on the similar mandate in different parts of the state. DSC is formally associated with eight District Rural Development Agencies (DRDAs) for successful implementation of Watershed Development Programme in the state of Gujarat .

DSC's Field Interventions at Glance

Ongoing Projects:

PIM in Dharoi (Major) Irrigation Project, Visnagar, North Gujarat

PIM in Mazam (Medium) and Guhai (Small) Irrigation Project Himmat Nagar, North Gujarat

PIM in Meshwo (Medium) Irrigation Project, Modasa, North Gujarat

PIM Pilot Project in Sardar Sarovar (Narmada) Project, Vehlal, Central Gujarat.

Watershed Development Project in Meghraj, North Gujarat

Agricultural Productivity Enhancement Project in Dhari, Western Gujarat.

Participatory Irrigation Management

Number of Irrigation Projects – 5

Number of Villages -89

Cultivable Area covered under PIM - 23792 Hectares (Largest Area undertaken for PIM by non-government organization so far)

Number of Water Users Associations Formed by DSC- 84

Number of Training Programs Conducted for Farmers- 162

Number of Farmers Attended DSC’s Training Programs- 3756

Number of Participant days- 6264

Estimated total Investment until March 2003 : Rs. 7 million

Watershed Development

Number of Villages Covered Under WSD Programme : 21 (11 villages completed, 10 ongoing)

Area covered for Treatment: 9000 hectares.

Beneficiary Population:

Estimated total Investment on Physical works until March 2003 : Rs. 43 million

Agricultural Productivity Enhancement (Watershed Plus)

No. of Villages Covered : 5

Area taken up for Agricultural Productivity Enhancement: 4723 hectares

Estimated total Investment until March 2003 : Rs. 0.24 million