Greening the Desert: Motivating Settlers in the Ignp

Book Details

• Publisher: Rawat Publications

• Author: Rakesh Hooja

• Edition: 2001

• Language: English

• ISBN: 8170336899

• Pages: 296

• Binding: Hardcover

• Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches

• Release Date: 1 January 2001

• Sale Territory: India

About the Book

"Settlement and Irrigation Management: The Indira Gandhi Canal Project" presents an interdisciplinary review of global literature on settlement theory and irrigation/command area development. It then focuses on a comprehensive analysis of the Indira Gandhi Canal Project (formerly the Rajasthan Canal) — one of India’s most ambitious irrigation and desert-greening initiatives.

The book explores:

• Theoretical frameworks in settlement and irrigation management.

• The planning, implementation, and challenges faced in large-scale agro-irrigational projects.

• Strategies for motivating settlers to embrace irrigated agriculture in an arid environment.

• Lessons from four decades of field experience in the canal’s command area.

Beyond irrigation, the study considers infrastructure, demographic transformation, afforestation, and rural development in the Thar Desert.

A valuable reference for engineers, social scientists, agricultural experts, planners, and policymakers, this work blends practical field insights with policy-level recommendations for improving large-scale irrigation and settlement projects.

Key Themes

1. Settlement Theory — International perspectives and their relevance to India.

2. Command Area Development — Strategies, challenges, and case studies.

3. The Indira Gandhi Canal Project — History, scale, and regional impact.

4. Motivating Settlers — Socio-economic, cultural, and environmental factors.

5. Lessons Learned — Field-based recommendations for effective project management.

About the Author

Rakesh Hooja is Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, and has served in various key roles in the Government of Rajasthan, including Area Development Commissioner for the Indira Gandhi Canal Project and Secretary for Command Area Development.

A prolific writer with over 300 articles and 18 books to his credit, his expertise spans land and water management, rural development, participatory irrigation, watershed management, and development administration.

He has studied at the School of Development Studies, University of East Anglia (UK), attended a specialized course at the International Irrigation Centre, Utah State University (USA), and visited major irrigation systems in Canada, USA, Chile, Argentina, and Egypt.