ICAR-Indian Institute of Water Management, Bhubaneswar conducted an advanced capacity building program on "Improving Water Productivity in Rainfed Agriculture" during 15th to 19th January 2018. The training programme was sponsored by Directorate of Soil Conservation and Watershed Development, Government of Odisha under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY). In total 27 field level officers of the Directorate of Soil Conservation and Watershed Development from 19 districts of Odisha participated as in the program. In inauguration, Dr. S. K. Ambast, Course Director & Director, ICAR-IIWM briefed about the training programme and also stressed on importance of improving the water productivity in rainfed areas. He delivered his lecture with elaborate discussion on irrigation efficiency and water productivity, and scopes for improving water productivity in rainfed agriculture. The training programme covered different aspects of improving water productivity in rainfed areas like climate resilient agriculture, organic and integrated farming systems, crop diversification in rice-fallows, agronomic interventions in watersheds, improving water productivity in paddy fields, role of women in agriculture, application of decision support system in agriculture, design of micro-irrigation systems, farm mechanisation and use of non-conventional energy in agriculture. The institute success stories in the field of improving water productivity in rainfed agriculture, the impact assessment and livelihood improvement were also discussed during the training programme.

Apart from Scientists from ICAR-Indian Institute of Water Management, resource persons from ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Dehradun; ICAR-Central Institute for Women in Agriculture, Bhubaneswar; and Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar were involved in sensitizing the trainees. Adequate importance was given to the field visits during the training program. One full day exposure visit was arranged to farmers' field at Dhenkanal, where trainees were exposed to integrated farming systems, ICAR fexi-check dam, artificial groundwater recharge structure, rainwater management structures, and use of drip irrigation by withdrawal of groundwater. Another two half day field visits were also arranged, one to Central Horticultural Experimental Station, Bhubaneswar and the other to Indian Institute of Water Management Research Farm at Mendhasal.

The training was concluded on 19th January 2018 which was chaired by Dr. S. K. Ambast, Director of the institute. The trainees expressed their satisfaction with the training programme. The meeting concluded with the feedback from trainees and distribution of certificates by the Director. Dr. S. Mohanty, Principal Scientist and Dr. P. Panigrahi, Senior Scientist of the institute coordinated the training programme.