Declining of cultivable rainfed lands is the issue in theKoraput district. This is because of the increasing degraded lands due to severe soil erosion which leads to rocky nature of the land. The degraded lands are not suitable for crop cultivation. The degradation of forest covers is also a common feature which is due to shifting cultivation and fuel wood consumption and charcoal making. Frequent floods due to heavy rains in south west monsoon periods affects all types of agricultural lands namely uplands, medium and low lands. The low lands are more frequently affected by floods when compared to other two categories. Majority of the rainfed farmers cultivate paddy in low and medium lands and ragi in medium and up lands.

In lean season, for nearly six months farmers are engaged in cooli works such as brick making, house construction in near by towns, collection of broomstick and charcoal making. Some of them are going for factory work in NALCO and HAL in Sunabeda. Single cropping is followed and it covers 90% of the cultivated area. In a lesser area only paddy is cultivated as second crop. Many perennial streams and small rivers flows in many parts of the Koraput block but the usage of the water for agriculture is very low and it accounts for only 2-5% of the total water flow of the district and it is mainly used for domestic needs by the villagers.

The Koraput block of the Koraput district consists of three Panchayats namely Manbar, Kendar and Mahadeiput. In Mahadeiput Panchayat there are 24 hamlets. It has highly eroded lands. Perennial water sources are available but second season cropping is not practiced. One or two low land farmers go for paddy as second crop. The major area of Mahadeiput Panchayat is medium lands. The soil type is red, stony and in some places it is rocky because of soil erosion. Ragi and paddy are the two major crops grown in this village. One or two farmers go for vegetable crops. They lift the water from the near by the perennial streams using wooden lifts with buckets and irrigate their fields.

• Identifying and understanding various disasters faced by the tribal rainfed farmers.
• Understanding traditional coping practices to mitigate the disaster vulnerability and preparedness relevant to the agro - ecological and socio-economic situations of Koraput
• Validating the indigenous technologies and taking to the best technologies to other places where it is not being followed.
• Understand various measures adopted by the farmers to manage the natural disasters and identifying the gaps in disaster preparedness.

• A study report on various disasters faced by the tribal rainfed farmers in Koraput district and various measures adopted by the farmers to manage the disasters.