Impact of Gomal Zam Dam irrigation project on agriculture and welfare of farming community in southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-Pakistan

This study investigated impact of Gomal Zam Dam (GZD) irrigation project on agriculture and welfare of farm households in Southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The study found immense effect of the project on increase in cultivated area and yield of wheat and gram crops, and diversification of traditional cropping pattern to commercialized farming with the addition of sugarcane and vegetables. The availability of irrigation water also induced cultivation of fodder crops which enabled farmers to add large ruminants to their livestock herds. All these changes resulted improvement in farmers’ welfare and development in project area. There are various post project needs which are equally important for long term success. The most important of these needs are training of farmers on water use efficiency; provision of technical assistance on using high yielding seed varieties, chemical fertilizers and pesticides; and provision of credit and subsidies for dairy farming.